Let it snow

For the skiers out there, have you ever considered taking your dog along when you hit the snow?

An article in the Summit Daily News in Frisco, Colo., by Julie Sutor, makes that suggestion.

The team sport of skijoring is something dogs and their owners can do together.

In skijoring, dog and skier each wear a harness and are linked together by a Bungee lead. They work together to travel along the trail. The human half of the team can wear classic Nordic skis, skate skis or even backcountry touring skis. The skier uses a set of commands to direct stopping, starting and turning. There's even a command to ignore squirrels, other dogs, birds, or other distractions on the trail.

As with any sport, you have to make sure everyone — dog included — is safe.

Watch for ice balls between the dog's toes and frostbite. Joint and ligament problems can occur over time as well.

And as with jogging and bicycling with a dog, be careful you aren't letting your dog overexert himself.

On the other hand (see previous story)

And then there's this story from the Daily Telegraph saying that people who walk their dogs get more exercise than people who go to the gym.

Read the story here.

Just keep them off the weight machines

When you get off work do you have a decision to make — whether to give your dog a chance to exercise ... or yourself?

A San Francisco couple had that dilemma and came up with a business solution.

They opened a gym with doggie daycare.

Fit Bernal Fit, in Bernal Heights, is, according to a San Francisco Chronicle article by staff writer Meredith May, one of the first in the nation to offer pet owners a place for their pooches to play while they work out.

Read the whole article here.

So far, half the 245 Fit Bernal Fit members have signed up for dog care services at the gym.

Armed with treats, a stern voice, and an assortment of toys, [owner] Jeanne [Eriksen] coaxes the shy dogs and plays with the energetic ones in the playroom, which features a big window so dogs can keep an eye on the gym.

She can also take the dogs to a separate outdoor lounge area off the back of the building, where dogs can run in a fenced-in outdoor space covered in small pebbles.

Eriksen, along with her husband Dean, were wisely aware of how risky opening a small business in a such a depressed economy can be. They gave themselves seven months to make a profit in their business plan.

They were wrong. They turned a profit in six weeks.