One of the features of this podcast has always been running with my dog. In the early days, when I started the podcast, I was running with my dog Buddy, the border collie. Buddy and I were great friends and running partners from the start.
He was the best dog I ever had.
Smart, athletic, caring and a great member of the family.
Buddy was healthy right up until the end. He passed quickly at the age of 16. In his last few years, he couldn’t do as much because his joints hurt and too much exercise made him sore. I would still take him out for a mile in the trail, then bring him back and go back out to finish.
I’ll give you a couple memories of Buddy that stand out.
When we first got him. I was on a business trip to Tennessee and my wife found a breeder somehow outside of Memphis. I drove out to the farm and there were the puppies. I chose the shy one at the back. Barely 8 weeks old. I brought him back on the plane in a little travel bag under the seat.
We got the dog for the kids, but he quickly became my dog.
He started running with me very early as a puppy. Nothing too strenuous but he was a thing of beauty as an athlete. Simply amazing. He would flow like water over the trails I could hear him coming behind me and zoom by to disappear in front. More than once, he’d disappear into the forest in front of me and be out of sight for a while, and I’d start yelling for him only to turn around and have him behind me, looking at me like I was crazy. It was like some teleportation magic trick.
He played frisbee like a champ. He could leap high into the air, grab the disc, flip around and land on his feet like the best acrobat. He was fast as a thoroughbred and could turn on a dime. Buddy was lithely built, lean and fast.
I had a pickup truck with a center sliding window in the back. Buddy would sit with his rump on the armrest and stick his head out the back. People would smile and honk and wave at him.
I remember one long run in the mountains with my friend Brian and his dog. We had a blast out in the mountain trails for hours both dogs having fun.
Buddy loved to swim. My understanding is that this is not entirely normal for a border collie. He would wallow in every mud hole. When we ran down by the pond he’d dive into the pond and swim in circles and wouldn’t come back. I was afraid I’d need to swim out and save him.
After Buddy passed, we went for a few months without a dog. The kids were out of the house, and we weren’t sure it would be fair to a dog with us in our dottering old age.
But my wife found a breeder in PA that had a fresh litter as history echoes. The location was on our way to a race I was running so we stopped by. This time my wife chose the goofy one with all the energy. In retrospect, probably not the best choice, but Ollie has matured into a fine dog.
Ollie has his own personality. Like most border collies he has a lot of energy and anxiety and it’s taken awhile for him to grow into a good citizen. And it took a while to tame him. He is a bit of a free spirit and not afraid to use his teeth when he gets scared.
They say dogs are like their owners. Well, Ollie is anxious, neurotic and loves to run.
We went through 3 rounds of training, and that, with a lot of practice and growth have made the difference. He is the handsomest dog you’ve ever seen, even when he’s giving you the side-eye because he’s pretty sure he’s smarter than you.
Ollie is built like a tank. He’s all muscle. When you hear him coming down the trail it’s like a horse galloping by. He doesn’t’ know his own strength. He is an impressive dog to watch accelerate from a full stop in a straight line – it’s like watching a dragster.
He very good recall now. I say ‘come’ and he trots over and sits at my feet. He walks in a heel on leash, with a bit of encouragement. He runs on leash and off. He doesn’t chase squirrels but is frightened by big things, especially big things that make noise.
We have a thing we do to impress the people we meet out in the trails. Ollie will sense them before I do and he’ll alert. I can tell by his body language that there’s someone up the trail. I’ll recall him. It’s a simple command ‘Ollie Come’ and he’ll trot over to me and sit at my feet. (this really impresses people – if they only knew how long that took!)
I’ll clip him into the leash and have him do a sit-stay until they pass. Sometimes they’ll want to say ‘hi’ and we’ll do a controlled meet and greet, but I’m always cautious because you never know, especially if there are other dogs or kids.
Then we do our trick. Once the situation is calm and the body language is good, I’ll say “Watch this” and unclip Ollie. I’ll make him stay for a second and then wave my arm and give the “Free Time” command and he takes off like a rocket down the trail and is out of sight in a galloping flash. It’s fun to see. He makes me look good.
I take him over to the senior living facility where my mom is, and he loves it there. The residents fawn over him and he eats it up. I make him heel on a short leash, but he seems to know that he has to be gentle with the old people. He gives hugs and kisses.
In the house, if you’re watching TV or trying to read he’ll pester you with a ball until you tell him to stop. Other times he will randomly step into you and give you a long deep hug. He, puts his head right on your shoulder and melts into you. Which for a dog this muscular is quite a hug!
And I think that’s the secret. It’s not about the running. It’s about the companionship. It’s about the comfort of having that smart, handsome being always around and always concerned and always looking out for us and occasionally leaning in for a hug, just because.