FEATURES
W.'s Pack....
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Saturday, 27 February 2016 00:10
By Harmony Gallegos (southwestmetromag.com - Oct. 2015)
While many of us stroll the neighborhood with our dogs regularly to keep fit and healthy, others—like triathlete, Ironman finisher, and self-proclaimed “endurance junkie” W. Harvey Skees of Eden Prairie—take exercising with dogs to a new level.
Skees, owner of rescue dogs Dottie, a 60-pound pit bull mix named for her speckled belly, and Zeus “the Moose,” an American Bulldog who weighs in at nearly 100 pounds, regularly walks and runs with both dogs—sometimes up to seven miles at a time. “Walking with my dogs is just part of our daily routine, no different than eating dinner or brushing my teeth,” he says. “It’s just something I do.” ...
It takes skill (and bravery) to run with a combined 160-pounds of dog, but Skees, who is a defense attorney by trade, employs several strategies to keep his pack moving smoothly. First, he took the time to explore the relationship between Dottie and Zeus to ensure that they would work well as a pack. For example, Dottie prefers to lead while Zeus likes to follow.
Skees let the dogs sort out things like pace and which side of the path each preferred, to prevent them from crossing in front of him or tangling themselves up. He also exercises politeness by yielding to others on the path. “We take it upon ourselves to step to the side of the path and the dogs are given the ‘heel and sit’ command, where they stay until I say ‘let’s go,’” he says.
Photo by Marissa Martinson
