Bob the Musher and Bob the Rock

I have mentioned that I walk Bob twice a day. Actually, “drag” would be the more accurate term. Sometimes Bob is dragging me because he sees or smells something interesting up ahead – another dog-walker, a bit of food, a bug. Let’s call this “Musher mode”. More often I am dragging Bob because he has discovered a particularly interesting smell that he wants to savor. Let’s call this “Rock mode”.

Musher mode isn’t too bad, unless it’s slippery out. I’m pretty good at holding back that tide. Rock mode is a little more difficult. You see, Bob weighs about 35 pounds, of which approximately 68 pounds is muscle. He also has very large paws. So when he really plants himself over an intriguing scent, he exerts somewhere north of 300 pounds of resistive force against the pull of the leash. Of course, I could easily just pick him up and move him on his way. But dragging him shows him who’s boss! OK, that's delusional. So how 'bout this -- dragging him gives me an upper body workout for free. Multitasking!

There are some physical hazards associated with this. A couple months ago I developed pain at the lower end of my right bicep due to the habit of dragging him with a bent arm. The doctor said it was some sort of muscle strain or tendonitis or whatever (I leave the diagnosis to the “real” doctors out there.) So now I drag with a straight arm, and alternate my leash-holding hand, thus giving each shoulder a nice stretch. The other hazard springs from the fact that Bob switches from musher mode to rock mode and back to musher mode with random, nanosecond transitions.  Said nicely-stretched shoulders are at perpetual risk of being pulled from their sockets.  Not to mention balance, which means I need to keep my core abdominal muscles on high alert throughout. It is a full, multitasking upper body workout.

These drag hazards take on new dimensions when Bob joins me on a jog. Or should that be a drog? Yes, I like that. Hazard Class One: unlike walking, when one jogs there are moments when neither of one’s feet are in contact with the earth. Hazard Class Two: Bob is so excited to be going further afield that the musher/rock transitions are a) much more frequent and b) no longer one dimensional. The mush forward/rock back pattern of a walk becomes mush forward/rock left/mush right/rock back/mush left etc. So not only am I less steady due to being intermittently airborne, I am also buffeted by the shifting gusts of force transmitted through the leash. Not to mention the occasional "rock forward", when I nearly trip over him. Eventually he settles in and is a great jogging companion. But that first mile, when I am simultaneously airborne, buffeted and navigating uneven sidewalks and/or potential slick spots is, ahem, challenging. Bonus points if I’m also juggling a bag of poop in all this. And, the first mile of my favorite drogging route is uphill. (Could use some mush forward help here, Bob!) Takes a lot of effort, both in the brain and in the core. No wonder my heart rate soars well above the zone that my Polar heartrate monitor has decided is “target” for a woman of my years.

But I do it because it’s good for my health and I enjoy how much Bob loves these drags and drogs. I appreciate that they are the Today Show and the Evening News of Dog World. New pee on the retaining wall! Unfamiliar person and potential friend at 12 o’clock! Greasy fast food container abandoned on grass! A cat crossed This Sidewalk! At This Spot! These stories and more on Channel O! K! Nine! (wait for it…aaaaannnd…groan)

And it occurs to me – why do I feel the need to keep moving ahead, to “make progress”, especially at risk to limb and perhaps life, when Bob clearly has an entirely different take on it?

BLB Lesson: stop and smell the news. Or in more human terms, take time to pay attention to what’s right under your nose.

Good Lesson. Thanks Bob.