We can get very warm here…but I just realized, with some of the suggestions here about getting a basket for my bike…I actually have a rack on the back that I could secure maybe a milk crate to, to give her breaks when she needs it! THANKS SO MUCH peeps! You all gave me TERRIFIC ideas!!!
Here’s a pic of her. She was on death row at the shelter. So sad. Such an awesome friend!
My mom has run a half marathon (13 miles) with our 20 pound mutt. (Didn’t run the actual race with him but did all her training with him) and all of it was on pavement. Since she built up to it he never had issues with stamina or with his paws.
I used to live in Virginia and Maryland’s Eastern Shore, and my dogs always ran with me when I rode, we rode through woods, fields, and when it was hot, I made sure to ride through or by streams. I only once ever had a dog who nearly had heat stroke and he was an older overweight Lab that my aunt never walked. If they are conditioned and you have water sources and pay attention to the dog you will be fine.
Yeah I conditioned mine to the heat but you have to start in spring. That only buys you a little extra leeway, doesn’t make your dogs invincible. With that said, just like with horses you need to factor in the heat and humidity but if its a caution for horses it’s a pretty much no-go for dogs.
I run and bike with mine, I use the WalkyDog for my ACDs. The greenways I ride on are paved, but I ride on the very edge so the dog is tracking on the grass/dirt when possible. It really helps to build up the paw pads gradually. They also both follow along the streams so if a pup acts hot or starts to lag we break and cool off in the shady running water. Without these factors I would not be comfortable biking them except very very early AM in these NC summers.
Here’s Oz on our ride the other day. http://instagram.com/p/pHwMgcFjpr/
