CAN MY DOG TRAIN FOR A MARATHON WITH ME?

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Most of my professional life, it seems, has been spent trying to help pet owners deal with the health issues of unfit or overweight pets. The problems of pet obesity are so severe and widespread that I was caught off guard recently when a dog owner asked me for advice about having her dog run with her as she trained for a marathon.

While I'm always delighted to hear from pet owners who understand the value of exercise — for themselves and their animals — running for fitness is not my area of expertise. When you’re raised on a dairy farm as I was, fitness comes naturally, by way of being alive. We never stopped moving, and who needs weight-lifting when there are hay bales to move?


I do work out daily under the loving guidance of my wife, Teresa, who’s an expert in fitness and nutrition. And I still move those hay bales. But the running I do is pretty much in airports, which is why I turned to an expert for help with this topic. Bob Halpenny is an experienced distance runner who trains other people for marathons through his work at Fleet Feet in Sacramento, Calif. He is also the owner of On the Trail Dog Fitness, a service that takes dogs out for regular runs.

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