Left Field

Dances with Dogs

If we can agree that dance per se is sport, then it would seem to go without saying that dancing with a dog falls within that rubric. Even if the actual performance did not involve much activity on the part of the human (which is not the case in the examples below), we should not dismiss dog training and dog walking as sports. For many people, especially the elderly, dogs are family. Unlike other members of the family, however, dogs demand regular daily activity; they also provide the basis for social interaction with other dog owners. There is no doubt that dog-walking and dog-training provide many of the same benefits claimed for other sports.

Bikes with Dogs

If walking your hound is too tame, how about running? or biking?

Walks with Dogs

Dog-a-Thons have become standard fundraising events for animal shelters and other dog-related groups. Are they sport events? Here's the opening line on the announcement of the 2009 Howl-a-ween Dog-a-Thon at Rice University in Houston, Texas:

Rice fans will get an chance to burn off a few calories in advance of Halloween Night while giving their dogs a brisk walk and raising money for women's athletics when the Rice Women's Athletics Advisory Board (WAAB) and Rice Sports Management presents its first Howl-O-Ween Dogathon on October 31, benefiting Rice Women's Athletics and True Blue Dog Rescue.

This is a fundraiser not only for True Blue Dog Rescue but also for Rice University's Women's Athletics program, and it is promoted as a "chance to burn off a few calories." Sounds like a sport event, doesn't it?

What about Dog-Friendliness?

Once we admit that walking the family dog can and should be encouraged just like other sports, we need to face the fact that, in America as elsewhere, dogs are increasingly becoming verminized. We need more pet-friendly housing, both at the level of the rental unit and in neighborhood design, and also recreational areas, with off-leash exercise facilities that are designed not just for humans to stand around and gab while their dogs romp but to hike and run with their dogs. We need more accommodating hotels, airports, public transport, and downtown areas.

This is not an animal rights issue. It is a matter of health and happiness for millions of people

Dog Walking Crushes Gym Workouts

According to a survey by [an admittedly interested party], the Bob Martin pet healthcare company, dog owners get more exercise on average from their walkies than gym members do from their workouts. The survey of 5000 Brits, including 3000 dogwalkers, found that 57% consider dog-walking their main form of exercise. The average regime of eight hours and nine minutes of dogwalking each week is more than six times as much as the eighty minutes racked up each week by the average gym-goer.

Deborah Dunning, health blogger for ThatsFit.com comments:

Granted, some will say that walking lacks high-intensity aerobic and muscular challenges. But, in a society where nearly half of all people admit to zero exercise, walking your dog is better than nothing. As a matter of fact, eight hours of doing so each week can burn 1,800 calories. Add in some hills or running and you can shake off even more calories. What's more, outdoor exercise encourages people to workout longer and harder, while providing a mood boost and vitamin D from being out in the sunshine.

One reason doggers spend so much more time exercising that gym goers is that they enjoy their sport more - five times as much, according to the Bob Martin survey, which reports that 86% of doggers enjoy their walks, while only 15% of gym goers claim to enjoy their workouts. Dunham comments:

In fact, most people perceive going to the gym as a chore. But instead of feeling like a chore, having a dog is more likely to be a motivator. Dogs won't let excuses get in the way of a workout. They will encourage you go farther and play harder. They won't size you up like people at a gym may. And they will remind you of the sheer joy of chasing a ball. In our eyes, you couldn't ask for a better training partner.

Maria Goodavage, blogger for Dogster.com, warns that talks with dogs is not a sport category:

And FYI, standing around chatting at the dog park doesn’t count as exercise for anything except your mouth. We call this taking your dog for a talk. Of course, if you walk to get there, you are redeemed.

"Geri Halliwell's svelte figure may be down
to the regular walks she takes with her
pet shih-tzu Harry" Daily Mail, Nov. 27, 2009