Plus-Sized Pin Up

Dogs are good for health and well being. Taking Juneau to puppy obedience classes really forces me to get off my ass and work. Since the class is learning "heel," we walk around half of a HUGE arena several times and different intervals. In class this evening, we tried to socialize our puppies. Juneau is a very excitable Huksy, so I needed to keep an eye on her and be down at her level. I got some good stretching done.

The old adage is right, "A tired puppy [Husky] is a happy puppy [Husky]." Siberians have a high energy level. I admit that my husband and I are not high energy or extremely active people -- please note that he is a bean pole U_U When we bought a house, I really wanted to get a dog. We were considering a Corgi for a long time, but we ended up falling in love with Juneau (then named Pepsi). We did a lot of research into the breed and decided to get her. A few of my husband's coworkers were horrified that we got a Husky and lectured us for not having an active lifestyle. What they refused to listen to was that was one of our driving reasons for getting Juneau: We wanted a more active lifestyle and having the puppy would help us get off of our asses. I love my 3 cats, but talk about LAZY!

This summer we have spent more time outside, going into the mountains for hiking, etc. Our class is encouraging us to work on "heel" in the park, so that gives us more exercise time. In addition, my husband is trying to teach her to pull. Being a Husky, that is her natural inclination. We hope to get her doing cani-cross and skyjoring soon. Since I love to ride my bike, I want her to learn bikejoring. When she is older and gets through obedience class, I want to get her started in agility. Talk about a workout!

In short, owning a dog goes a long way in getting motivated to exercise. Plus, it is a lot of fun spending time with a dog.