Running Partners

I have been trying to get back out and do a few miles again. I have two running partners; one of whom is showing great promise. The big black dog is Kuma, our 2 year old rottweiller/ lab mix. Kuma is a big girl, weighing ~105 lb (pre-holidays).

The picture of the two of them is about two months old and the puppy has changed substantially. The little guy is named Jackson. He is now between 5 and 6 months old. Last week, he weighed 45 lb. My wife had been looking for a "lap" dog and picked Jackson up at the pound. He was a cute, tiny puppy. They told her he was a shepherd/lab mix. As his coat has filled in, we have been guessing shepherd/golden retriever mix. The vet said, "Yeah, maybe 1/3 shepherd, 1/3 golden, and 1/3 great dane - look at those feet and legs". The vet estimated 90-100 lb. when fully grown. Some lap dog.

In any case, I have been taking the dogs out for short runs. We did 5 miles both yesterday and today. Kuma pulls a bit to start with and then settles in to a heavy gallop. She is not light on her feet. Jackson just glided along. I never heard him breathe or pant and he was ready for more at the end. As he is pretty young yet, I don't want to do too many miles with Jackson, but he seems much better suited for long runs than Kuma. The problem will be she is a very jealous girl.

So, I am trying to get in some running over the holiday. With any luck, I won't have to walk the majority of the single loop I will be doing at the Western Washington Fat Ass run.