This year in running did not start out in the way in which I intended it to, which has now become the new normal, three years running, pun intended. I had a slight injury, and it was almost healed, but then on Christmas I ran a workout and aggravated it way more, and now it will not go away, which is typical of how I do things. So I have been able to run, but not as much as I want to, and I cannot run fast at all or it becomes much more aggravated, but that does not mean that running has to be completely pointless. Sure, I wish I was training for a Spring marathon or any race at this point, but that is not in the cards, so instead, right now running is used for two purposes: cardio and dogs!
Back in December, I saw a flier that was put out on Instagram that said that the Central New York SPCA was looking for volunteers to come and run with their dogs, and if there are two things in this world that I love, it is dogs and running. Also this was over Christmas break, and I was super bored, so I said that I was interested despite my leg not feeling the best. It ended up not starting till after Christmas break, but that was fine. I went in and signed my forms, and the next day I came back and started running with the dogs.
The first dog that they brought out to me was Axel. They said that he was one of the main reasons why they started the program, because he needed some serious exercise, and they were right. When we got out to the road, he was like a rocket ready to blast off. He was sprinting for the whole first mile with me in tow. I was immediately in love. I wanted to take him home right then and there, which is a theme.
The ASPCA is located conveniently right in front of some small low trafficked business that have their own closed roads basically. So there is little to no traffic on the roads, except the occasional car, which is good, because many of the dogs are scared of the cars or want to attack the cars. I had heard that there was a half mile loop and a full mile loop, but I was never made privy to the map, but to be fair I did not ask for one. I just happened to make a loop that was perfectly a mile. So each dog I take out gets to go on the one mile loop.
Initially there was a common characteristic to the runs with my first set of dogs. They loved to go out super-fast, and some of these dogs were hefty, so it felt like I was being dragged along despite having a strong grip on their leashes. BUT they would almost always slow down half into the run. I do not know if it was just the realization that we were not going back immediately, so they had to conserve their energy or maybe they just got tired of being choked by their collar, so they slow down, but it has happened time and again with a variety of dogs.
The first few times that I went and ran with the dogs, the people who worked there would go back and choose the dog for me to run with, and they would go back and get it for me and bring it out, which made it easy for me. But after three days, I was told that I was coming back too fast, so I could either do two laps with the dogs, or I could go back and get the dogs myself. My mission is to take out as many dogs as possible, so I said that I would prefer to go back and get the dogs myself.
It is not quite as simple as just going back and getting your own dog though. There is a long hallway that takes you to the back kennel, and then the kennel itself is massive. I think this side holds close to 50 dogs, and if they do not recognize you, they immediately erupt into barks. At the front of the kennel, there is a big whiteboard with all of the dogs’ names on it, and it has each day of the week. It is basically a giant excel spread sheet, but on a whiteboard. So when I pick a dog, I have to look at the list, so I can see who has been taken out recently in the past couple days, and who has not.
This added a layer of complexity to the whole thing, and at first, I really struggled to pick a dog and to find the dog in the kennel, but now I have gotten a little quicker with being able to find the dog that I have selected and selecting the dog that needs to go out quicker. It also helps when I walk in and someone at the desks says, “You know who needs a run today, ____.” So then that is one less pick I need to make.
Having to go through this process obviously slows me down, so to take out six dogs and run the mile with them takes a little over an hour, which is like 20 minutes longer than it would take normally, so this whole thing is about more than just getting some miles in. It is all about the dogs, and there are some dogs that once I get them out there do not even want to run, or they are super slow, and there is no other choice than to go slow with them, because they still deserve their time out in fresh air and to get all the smells.
It did take me some getting used to, because to me running continuously is what I like to do. I do not like to stop, and on top of that, I also stop and try to take a picture with the dog, so that adds to the process too, but I have fallen in love with it. It has also been funny, because I have heard from so many different people that work there and on Instagram and strava that they think that it is great what I am doing for the dogs, but I do not even really think about it that way, because I am just doing what I love, running, with something I love, dogs. So I do not feel like I am doing anything special.
One of the most conflicting parts of running with the dogs has been when they get adopted. I had two dogs that I love get adopted. I know that this is a great thing. The whole goal is for them to get adopted, but when they are dogs that I have run with more than once and have started to form a bond with, it also makes me sad to see them go. Specifically I am thinking about Nolan and Shere Khan. Shere Khan was first to go, but I got to take him on one last run before he was picked up. The thing that makes Shere Khan great is that he is an acrobat. He is the kind of dog that literally flips off the walls, and when he gets excited in his enclosure, he just starts jumping off the walls, and this continued as I tried to get him out of the door. He was also a great runner, and he was stripped like a tiger, an absolute beauty of a dog.
Nolan was also gorgeous. He had the coolest paws. He was largely black, but his paws were white with light brown spots. It reminded me of giraffe legs, except that he was short. Nolan was also a jumper, which I appreciate. I love getting jumped on and licked! But his high amount of jumping earned him an enclosure with a paper that said experienced walkers only on it. I did not even realize this till I brought him back the first time. He was the sweetest dog, so I was so glad that this did not deter people from adopting him, and I do think that it is a little wrong to have a very visible sign on the kennel that prospective adopters can see. Like if you went to adopt a kid, the house would not have a sign that said problem child on their door, that would be so wrong!
In my seven days of running with the dogs, I have taken out 40 different dogs, which is more than I would have guessed, and I have taken a few out multiple times. So I should also give a shout out to Mya, who has received probably over one hundred pictures of the dogs and I, and she has also received a whole paragraph about each dog and has listened to me complain about the dogs who have pooped on the runs. So sorry for the over sharing...
I have not run in the past week as I continually try to get my shin to heal, and I am sad that I have not had a chance to go and run with the dogs, but I will be back. It is important for the dogs to get exercise and for them to get some freedom. I take pride in trying to find the dogs that have had the least amount of time out and trying to get them out. It would be easier to continually take out some of my favorites and the ones I know are good at running, but that is not the goal. Everyone deserves exercise, even dogs! (If you are interested in volunteering let me know, and I can point you in the right direction! Or if you want to adopt a dog, they have some great ones at the CNY SPCA!!!)
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