Puppy Running Love

Misty’s first nap in March at home

So for my 100th blogpost, let me tell you about our new PUPPY!

In March, we bought a new puppy, an English setter named Misty (Murphy). She is 10 weeks old and is an amazing dog. We got her from Rockin’ T Kennel near Friend, Nebraska. The breeder introduced us to Misty’s parents and grandparents (her grandpa has spots similar to Misty’s and can’t stay out of water! he’s always wet!).

Life really changes with a puppy. Late nights, waking up every hour or two while crate/potty training, and yes, puppies chew everything. But puppies nap a lot.

Misty pretending to be a pretzel while napping

But to her credit, Misty the Magnificent, is very active and she LOVES to RUN! (short distances! in circles! stopping every 30 feet to sniff or eat something…or chase rabbits, birds or squirrels.) I’ve learned to give her a little slack with the leash but not too much.

This Squirrel Shall Not Pass! (The taunting squirrel is Misty’s nemesis.)

I love that she gives me short (usually) slow warmup runs before my marathon training runs. Usually I give her Mondays off from running as I only run a mile on most Mondays. I’ve learned to always carry a bag to pick up dog waste. Oh, and let your dog outside at least once per hour to get fresh air and to take care of business. (Or when you cook anything with BBQ flavor). Give your dog some ice cubes to play hockey with while you eat. Sometimes it works!

But now she sleeps through the night, in her crate, usually without waking us up more than once. And my need for an alarm clock is gone. She’s usually making “let me out!” noises by 6:00-6:30 am every morning. So no more sleeping in for any of us.

Also, I have been icing my legs and feet less because Misty gives me “free licks” and I find that this has a similar (but unproven) therapeutic effect to ice therapy.

No running of more than a mile (roughly) with her. She’s too young. Usually we only run 1/3-1/2 mile or so. But she loves to walk, especially “sniff walks” when she can utilize her keen canine scent and hunting instincts.

We’ve had some close calls with rabbits. Misty is running faster and faster and arriving at our fence just seconds (or less) after a rabbit sneaks under a rabbit hole.

Our dog did decapitate her first squeaky toy, a frog, in one day. So we replaced it with a squeaky squirrel. So far the squirrel is still alive and squeaks in at least one location.

Also, her dog (day) bed is torn to shreds, we tried taping it up but she loves to try to eat the stuffing so we had to take it away. Duct tape can only do so much. So now we pretend that her “puppy towel” is her daybed. Close enough.

Misty just being cute in her doggie daybed

We calm her with music therapy when she’s in the crate/kennel. She’s in the kennel not very much (usually less than 2-3 hours per day plus overnight). I’m learning which music makes her sleepy and which music does not. Do any of you utilize music to calm and soothe your dog or puppy? Otherwise, I let her sleep on my lap, giving her a neck/back massage or rubbing her belly. She loves to be brushed (but ate her toothbrush. OOPS!).

We love our dog and she is challenging us to be more active chasing her in the backyard. My step counts are up so I can’t complain.

And with her puppy dog eyes, yes, she gets spoiled a little by her loving owners.

Puppy Dog Eyes closeup

Do you have a dog or dogs? Tell me about your dog or puppy!

Filled with newfound puppy love while running with our dog, Running Groove Shark

Misty watching birds