When Kiera, my Austrialian Shepherd, was young, Andrew and I would take turns every day taking her for a run. Not each of us every other day. Every day, twice a day at least, we’d take her for a 3-mile run. I’d have the morning shift and he’d take the evening shift. That barely took the edge off her need to run.
My legs don’t want to run 3 miles everyday anymore. So if I were ever to get another Australian Shepherd, I’d seriously think about getting her started with something like a dog powered scooter. While there are models out there that I don’t think are safe for dogs, Mark Schuette shared his latest builds with me, and I’m really liking them. Check them out in action in this CNN report.
All the dog powered scooters Mark sells are ergonomic for kicking and they have adequate ground clearance for moderate off road use. Mark offers both 1-dog and 2-dog systems. For the 2-dog system, you get both options of the dogs on opposite sides (best beginner setup since its so stable but wider) and you get the dogs both on the right side (in-line/tandem) which is more advanced riding but stays narrow for busy sidewalks or single track dirt trails. If you have a healthy, strong, active dog and you’re looking for a new way to exercise her, this could be just the ticket.
What a cool invention! Dolly and my rescued Aussie Bandit just started their diets, this could come in handy :)
While these aren’t cheap, in the long run, they could be worth their weight in gold. : )