GUTS TO GLORY
HAVE DOG, WILL WALK

By Patti Lawson

Patti Lawson and Sadie

Patti Lawson is an award-winning author, newspaper columnist, lawyer, and motivational speaker who lives in Charleston, WV, with her dog, Sadie. Her latest book, The Dog Diet: A Memoir, What My Dog Taught Me About Shedding Pounds, Licking Stress and Getting a New Leash on Life is an inspiring and moving account of how changing the focus of your life can get you back in the game. Lawson can be reached at www.thedogdiet.com. ISBN 0-7573-0394-3, retails for $16.95, hardback.

I was never a fan of walking merely for the joy of walking anymore than I’d spend half an hour actually using my thigh-master. Walking has always been a form of exercise for me, not a pleasure. It was either an intense, hour-long endurance trek or a means of getting from one place to another.

The amount of time I used to spend walking was in direct proportion to what I’d eaten that particular day. Two trips to the Indian lunch buffet — four miles. A box of Godiva — an additional run to the bridge. My motto was the sooner the walk began… the sooner it was over. That is until I adopted my dog Sadie and learned to enjoy walking, and learned that walks have purposes I’d never thought of before.

One of the most important aspects of Sadie’s morning walk is to get her paws on the pulse of the neighborhood. This simply cannot be done by dashing out the door for a non-stop fast walk. In the beginning we were at an impasse; I wanted to walk in my usual brisk manner, Sadie wanted to take the time to sniff out the entire area. Through trial and error we reached a compromise by varying each walk.

Sadie did something no other person or weight loss goal had been able to get me to tackle: the morning walk. In order to get to work on time, I simply had no time for a morning walk. Sadie changed that. When we get up, Sadie and I indulge in leisurely stretches, and then race down the stairs, shut off the house alarm, and one of us races into the back yard for a quick morning pee. Coffee in hand, I quickly scan my email while Sadie waits patiently. Rarely does she nag me with whining or whimpering to hurry up, but I’m ashamed to say that once we get to the boulevard for our walk, my reaction to her checking her p-mail is quite different.

These sniffing walks can be quite trying for an impatient dog Mom wanting to undo the damage of the night before at a favorite restaurant. The endless stopping at poles, curbs, and trees can be maddening; however, I try to remember that Sadie is checking her messages. I’ve learned from Sadie’s reactions that p-mail to her is as important as my email is to me.

Her reactions to these unseen messages are amusing and always get my day off to a good start. After days of no sightings of Winston (her sometimes boyfriend), I’ve seen her disturbed to discover he’s been out on the boulevard when he told her he had to stay home and guard the house. Her irritation is also evident at times when she learns that Vinnie has been allowed to chase squirrels on the capitol lawn after I told her it was against the law.

Sometimes the messages seem to cause concern or pure delight as she sniffs the p-mail over and over. A sigh — did someone get a bad pedicure resulting in a split paw nail? A rapid increase in tail wagging — is that handsome black poodle just ahead? A quick sit down – does a friend have fleas? A quick sniff and a sudden change in direction — trying to avoid the mean spaniels that snap at her?

The morning walks get not only my body moving, they’re better than caffeine to my sluggish mind.

Our noon walks have a different character... these are our Noontime Nonsense walks. They’re for fun as I’ve had a serious morning dealing with legal matters and Sadie has been concentrating on the network Animal Planet. She’s always sitting patiently staring at the stairs for my return, and I’m so glad see her. After a joyful release from the crate, she scampers up the stairs to get her leash, meets me at the front door, and off we go.

There isn’t a lot of time for this walk so we get right down to business. Sadie’s sniffing is limited as we enjoy the noontime break and get as much distance in as possible. We move along quickly in order to give a boost to our metabolisms for the afternoon stretch. We say hello to our neighbors on this walk as most of them aren’t out in the early morning. Both of us love being outside in the sunshine and I take a ball along for us to play with. I toss the ball down the path and we both run after it; Sadie out ahead retrieving and bringing it back to me as I run to meet her. This is walking at its best: fun and fitness all in one.

After work, I change my clothes and get walking as soon as possible; however not so I can get finished fast. Our PM Prance takes us in a different direction from the other two walks. We head toward downtown because this walk is to see and be seen. After all, the eligible men and dogs are out running at this time of day. Sadie and I combine getting fit and finding boyfriends all in one swift excursion. We always look great while giving off the air of being serious fitness walkers, an attitude we’re confident will eventually cause one of those good looking male runners to stop and chat with us.

Our favorite walk takes place after dinner. I call it Evening Enchantment. This stroll is just to look around. We’ve witnessed baby bluebirds learning to fly, seen the first crocuses poking through the ground, and once found a lottery ticket worth $5. It’s a quiet walk to think over the day’s events and take stock of things. After all, tomorrow will be here soon enough and Sadie has taught me that everyone should walk through their life… not race to the end of it.