Dogs find room to run indoors
I've never heard of a program like this before, but I think it sounds like a wonderful idea!
From the Joliet Herald News.
Dogs find room to run indoors
December 11, 2007
By DAWN AULET Staff Writer
Max is a 6-month-old Huskie and he may be the only dog around that looks out the window, sees snow and gets excited.
"It's kind of hard; it's cold for me, but he loves it," said his owner, Ira Garza, of Minooka. Garza has had Max since he was 5 weeks old, but she admits getting him enough exercise in the winter is sometimes a challenge.
It might be even more of a challenge for smaller breeds that are closer to the ground and might have all of their paws and most of their legs in the snow when they go out for a walk.
Pete Maes, of Channahon, has an Australian silky terrier named Gus.
"When we go for a walk it's tough this time of year," Pete said.
On Thursday night, though, Max and Gus were able to run around to exhaustion and the owners stayed warm in the meantime. They were at Dog Days at Skateland.
Indoor run
Last year, the village of Channahon decided to open up the roller rink to dogs twice a month. Two weight classes are established, with the smaller dogs beginning at 6:30 p.m. and dogs over 35 pounds beginning at 7:40 p.m.
Donna Romstedt, of Channahon, brought her 4-year-old beagle, Kiko, who weighs in at 35 pounds, so he could stay through the session with the larger breeds. It was a neighbor who told her about the bimonthly event.
"I just met another neighbor here," she said. "It's social for the dogs and social for the people."
Dogs must be up to date on vaccines and owners must sign a waiver that their dog is friendly. In addition, owners must clean up after their dogs, both indoors and outside.
On Thursday, some owners made it just an outing for them and their canine, but others made it a family affair.
The McComb family, of Channahon, drew attention to themselves when they came in — and not because the whole family came to play. It was because their dog, Sophie, was by far the largest dog in attendance and she is only 11 months old. Sophie is a Leonberger, which at full growth will be about 30 inches at the shoulder and weigh more than 100 pounds. But, according to Tina McComb, mom of the family and of Sophie, her size is not at all indicative of her personality.
"They call them the gentle giants," she said of the breed.
Sophie was surely running around with all the other dogs on Thursday, and all of them seemed to be getting along quiet well.
The next planned event is on Dec. 20, starting at 6:30 p.m. for the smaller breeds. The current park district catalog lists the last dog day as Jan. 17, but they will continue into the spring.
For more information, call Channahon Park District at (815) 467-7275.
Dawn Aulet is a Herald News features reporter who can be reached at daulet@scn1.com or (815) 729-6085.
