I have 3 beautiful (well, ok. One is not so beautiful) boxers with tons of energy to burn. I'm getting older and my knees just can't take jogging anymore. And, since I live in Oklahoma where the humidity stays all year and the heat can literally fry an egg; it makes it very difficult to want to walk all three dogs. I have to take them one at a time and when I do, it's really an all morning affair. It's hard to find that much time.
So, I had this great idea to buy a bicycle and take them jogging thinking that a faster walk ( Search Amazon.com for bikes
) for them could burn as much energy in much less time. Trouble was, holding the leash and riding the bike and guiding the dog (esp. the puppies) was a daunting task. The twins (as I call them) are only a year and a half old. They kept wanting to pull this way and that way to chase other dogs, birds, squirrels, etc. And the boy, Malcolm, kept wanting to stop the bike by either biting at the back wheel or my knee as it pedaled up and down. This, of course, was all very dangerous. They could get hurt by running into the bike while it was moving and I could get hurt by being tugged off of it to chase a squirrel.
) for them could burn as much energy in much less time. Trouble was, holding the leash and riding the bike and guiding the dog (esp. the puppies) was a daunting task. The twins (as I call them) are only a year and a half old. They kept wanting to pull this way and that way to chase other dogs, birds, squirrels, etc. And the boy, Malcolm, kept wanting to stop the bike by either biting at the back wheel or my knee as it pedaled up and down. This, of course, was all very dangerous. They could get hurt by running into the bike while it was moving and I could get hurt by being tugged off of it to chase a squirrel.I had to do something different. Alas! I found the incredible bike tow leash! An ingenious device that is flexible enough for the dog to step a bit to the side, the back (in case the path narrows) or move further forward at that moment when I have to slow down and he doesn't realize it yet. Flexible? Yes. BUT; it keeps the dog from moving in too close to the bike. No longer do I worry about the spokes getting nipped at or my knees. It's easy to put on and remove from the bike. It has a low center of gravity, so even if the dog lunges at something, I'm not pulled over! I LOVE IT! I LOVE IT! I LOVE IT!
I started out just walking the dogs next to the bike with a regular leash. Then we graduated to me riding the bike with a regular leash just up and down the block. The next step was to attach them to the tow lead and walk the bike. We went really slow at first and not very far. We did this for several days until today. I hooked them up and VOILA! We took off and never looked back. The puppies loved it! I made sure I kept very aware of my surroundings just in case something were to spook them. We passed the very loud garbage truck, no problem. Squirrel? No problem. Cat? No problem. The dogs were having a great time and so was I! I can't wait till we all build up a bit more stamina so we can go further. This is the greatest invention ever!
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