dogs Archives - Becoming Elli

Having a dog in my life definitely adds more steps to my day! I find that I am more motivated to take longer walks as well as getting outside for a short walk during the day.

Welcome to Peanut, a 9-year-old Shibu Inu mix. She’s my granddog. Her full name is Princess Peanut Brittle and she is living with my husband and myself after a couple of minor incidents when my grandson was playing with her dog toys. While she is a lovely sweet dog, she really can’t be trusted with a baby who crawls and grabs dog toys and fur. All of us agreed that we didn’t want any major incidents!

Peanut taking a break in the sun shine

Peanut is good on the leash without too much pulling

Walking at Hudson Springs Park

I love how she looks like a little fox when she is all curled up

Peanut looks like a little fox when she is all curled up

Peanut taking a walk near the dog park in Streetsboro

Morel Mushroom hunting

She definitely loves the walks and I have to admit, I do too. It’s a great time of year to start doing more steps and very good for my mental health. Last October my dog Lady passed away and I’ve missed having a dog presence in the house. It’s not the same if you are a dog person.

Lady also did really well on a leash, especially with the help of a gentle leader. I found that I was not as interested in getting out and walking without a dog in my family.

Peanut’s very good riding in the car as well so she doesn’t mind driving to new trails and parks.

Trails so far since April 24:
1) Lake Trail Park
2) Thomas Heritage Park
3) Hudson Springs Park
4) Barlow Community Center Trail
5) Silver Springs Park

This weekend I am dog-sitting my daughter’s dogs while she takes a trip with her girlfriends to Nashville. I’m wondering if I have four dogs in our household, will I get four times the number of steps? We’ll see!

Do you have a dog that you walk on a leash? Does it help you get more steps each day? Leave a message below! I’d love to hear about it.

Why am I running from dogs? I love dogs and miss having one to take for walks. Dogs don’t normally frighten me but when I’m running, I worry about some of the dogs I meet. Last week I went running and encountered a few more dogs than I wanted.

I have not been bitten by a dog while I’m running but one time a large dog knocked me down. I was trail running and stopped while three women and two dogs untangled themselves. While I was watching the one dog, the other lunged at me and knocked me over. Fortunately, a tree broke my fall. Otherwise, I would have been flat on the ground.

I’ve also had dogs lunge at me as I run past them. These weren’t unattended dogs; their owners were right there. One time I suppose I grimaced because the owner said to me, “my dog wouldn’t hurt you.” It’s hard to know that for sure when the dog and I are not acquainted.

Running from dogs

So, last week I encountered several dogs who concerned me. One dog was off leash despite being in a park with signs everywhere advising that the dog must be on leash. The dog was clearly trained but his owner still had to call him twice to get the dog to follow. I slowed way down and moved away from the dog.

Next, I saw a young woman walking a large, strong dog on a long leash. She was paying no attention to the dog and had the leash looped over her wrist while she played with her phone. I worried that the dog could break away from her so gave them a wide berth too.

I also met a couple of dogs on long, retractable leashes. Their owners didn’t retract the leashes as I approached so again I had to cross the street to be out of reach of the dogs, should they decide to run at me.

By the time I finished my four miles, I felt like I had played dodge ‘ems with dogs. I would have felt better if the dog owners had been more attentive. Fortunately, nothing happened and perhaps I’m just excessively cautious. Tripping over a dog, being knocked over by a dog or even being bitten is just going to ruin my day.

How about you? Any dog stories to share? Let me know by leaving a comment below or on our Facebook page, sending an email to Jill@becomingelli.com or calling 330-970-6662.

Tag: dogs

Peanut: My New Dog = More Steps

Running from Dogs

Running from dogs