Pooches get a run for your money

Dog runners - not walkers - are the latest trend, as busy owners realize pets are like people: They need more exercise.

By Erin Sullivan, Times Staff Writer
Published August 6, 2007

TAMPA - After a two-year sabbatical, Christine Holloway decided to go back to work. She worried about Sheena, her black Labrador. Sheena is 60 pounds and a little more than a year old.

"She's spoiled," Holloway said.

Without enough exercise, Sheena gets bored and into trouble. She eats the fancy Berber carpet upstairs. One loose thread became a 5-foot hole.

She also shows her dissatisfaction by going to the bathroom inside the house.

Sheena was kicked out of doggie day care because she was in heat - at the same time Holloway was returning to her restaurant job. Both Holloway, 34, and her boyfriend, John Oliva, 43, work long hours. Walking Sheena wasn't enough.

So, a month ago, Holloway called a doggie personal trainer, of sorts.

Now someone from High Tail It Pet Sitters exercises Sheena every day at noon, 2 p.m. and 4 p.m. They run her hard. They do agility training. They throw balls.

When Holloway and Oliva come home, Sheena doesn't have a belly full of Berber. She has had no accidents in the house.

"It's been a big relief," Holloway said. "I wish I had known about this sooner."

Healthy, but also hip

Requests for dog runs, rather than walks, are up with pet sitters in the Tampa Bay area and nationwide. Large cities have dog running companies and freelance dog runners: people who run anyway and want to make a few extra bucks while they do it.

Some companies, such as Barks n' Wags in Tampa, will skate with your pooch. Owner Jason Kelly said clients stop laughing at the idea when their dogs come home worn out and happy.

"They notice a difference immediately," Kelly said.

At a time when affluent dog owners coddle their pets with massage, antidepressants and spa vacations, it's not surprising that dogs have the equivalent of personal trainers.

"Dog running went from unheard of to uber-hip," said William Sharp, a part-time dog walker in San Francisco. "People like telling their friends, 'I have to leave a key for Fifi's dog runner.' It's far more sexy than 'dog walker,' which is so yesterday."

Hiring a dog runner isn't merely fashionable. "Many people have come to understand that their dog needs more exercise than they can provide," said Dr. Monica Clare, a critical care specialist at Animal Surgical and Emergency Center in Los Angeles.

For safety's sake, running companies tend to allow a maximum of two dogs on a run. "You always have to be watching out for your dogs, other dogs and passers-by," said Roy Scranton, 30, who works for Running Paws in New York City. "If you're a guy running full speed through New York City with a bloodhound and a Weimaraner, there's the potential of all sorts of accidents."

Safety comes first

Though running is generally thought to be good for animals and humans, be extra cautious before starting a program.

"Big, stupid, young dogs - Labs, Dalmatians, goldens - can never get enough exercise," said Clare, the veterinarian, "but dog runners aren't for every dog."

English bulldogs, for example, aren't built to run much, she said. Dogs with orthopedic problems or airway diseases can be harmed if they are run too much.

Before hiring a dog runner, Clare says, pet owners should have dogs examined by a vet for health problems.

Pet owners should hire only runners who are trained to monitor their charges, especially in scorching weather.

"Dogs can burn their paws and wear them down, especially if they are run on hot asphalt," Clare said. "We see a lot of cases of heatstroke, especially when the weather warms up."

A loved one's needs

Kelli McCan, who works with Sheena the black Lab and owns High Tail It Pet Sitting, said her services have gone mainstream in recent years.

Some of her clients are famous and wealthy. But many have regular jobs and have decided to budget this into their lives, just as they would child care. They view it as a necessity for their pet's well-being.

McCan charges $13 per visit and half for each additional pet. That includes playing, running, giving medications - and watering plants and bringing in mail.

McCan's customers run the gamut: cats, chinchillas, horses.

"People are working more hours than they used to. They're putting in 12- to 13-hour days. They are so tired," McCan said. "But they don't want their pets to suffer for it."

The only one suffering now at Sheena's house seems to be Oliva, who tends to get squeezed out of the bed by the 60-pound puppy.

He ends up on the couch.

Erin Sullivan can be reached at 813 909-4609 or esullivan@sptimes.com. Information from the New York Times was used in this report.

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Exercise options

Barks n' Wags Dog Walking & Pet Sitting: (813) 285-6932

High Tail It Pet Sitting: (813) 900-4939

[Last modified August 3, 2007, 16:35:52]