Today I realized that gone are the days of Rooney running 7.5 miles with me, happily jaunting along and wanting to keep going. Since he’s taken the summer off, it’s been a struggle getting him to go more than 2 miles. He refuses to go in the direction of a run we used to do together all the time, so I try to mix it up and take him on different loops around the neighborhood.
Now before people call animal control for abuse, let me be clear – Rooney’s got 2 miles in him, he’s just become very opinionated as to what he will and won’t do since he was hospitalized last May. That’s right, this past May, we had to admit Rooney to the hospital for a stomach bug that literally tore up his stomach. He ate some horse manure (gross I know) while we were trail running and whatever was in the manure did such damage that he just couldn’t get better on his own. Part of it was my fault – the treatment was going to cost $1600 and I couldn’t afford it, so the vet treated him they best she could without having to stick an IV in him, but after a week where he seemed to be getting better, Rooney digressed. I won’t get into the gory details, but after waking up one morning to what looked like the set of a horror film, Rob and I rushed him to the emergency room, told the vet that we pay anything, just get him better. He spent the night at the animal hospital on an IV, which they had to give him morphine in order to get the needle in. He also tried to jump into a stranger’s car when the vet tech took him out to pee. Rob and I got a kick out of that!
Moral of this story? Do what the vet says the first time.
Ever since his illness, he’s been much more explicit in what he wants to do when we are outside of the house. He likes to dictate where we do our walks. He refuses to go in a certain direction if he sees something he likes better in the another direction. If there is a dog coming down the street, he’ll lie down and not move until they meet. Now he did this before, but after some prodding he’d be get up and move. No more. Now, I could be proactive and whip out the treats and get our dog training on, but I take a more lackadaisical approach and just try to drag his butt down the street. We provide a lot of entertainment for our neighbors I’m sure.
This morning he started digging his paws in the sidewalk when we passed the apartment building where his best friend Chulo lives. I think he more wanted to go have a 6am dog party rather than run. We were a mile away from home though so I had to keep pulling him along and eventually got him to pick up the pace. I dropped him off at around 1.6 miles and continued on my own.
Chulo and Rooney
Anyway, I want my running Rooney back! But if he’s not into it I’m not going to force him. My plan is to try and encourage him to run, but if he’s not willing to go, I’ll turn around and take him home.
Workout:
Mile 2 – 10:32
Mile 3 – 9:59
Mile 4 – 9:43
Mile 5 – 9:38
Total Time: 51:19
Total Mileage: 5 miles
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