Running with Betty White

By Amy Coward

A while back when I started running, I decided to get a dog to run with me. Partly as a companion and partly as security since I run in the morning before dawn. I adopted a 3-year-old white “retriever mix” from a local shelter because retrievers like to run, I thought. I named her Betty White because of her classic bouffant hairdo.

After getting the dog home and doing some further research, I found out that my new dog was a “Golden Sammy” – a retriever mixed with a Russian Samoyed. It’s a dog that’s bred for herding reindeer and pulling sleds. So yes, Betty White loves to run. But she really loves to run chasing squirrels and rabbits, not so much alongside a middle-aged runner. And guess who she thought was the sled?­­­­­–

After several months of nearly having our shoulders dislocated, my husband and I decided some training was needed so we registered Betty White for basic dog obedience training. For six weeks, we joined others with challenging (otherwise known as badly behaving) pets and worked on Betty’s obedience – walking, sitting, responding to name and so on. As instructed, we took pockets full of treats, including bits of hot dog which Betty loved, and we marveled at the ability of the dog trainer (a.k.a. dog whisperer) to get her to do many things. We, however, did not get such a great response. In class, Betty was too easily distracted by her classmates and she really wanted to attack most of them, especially the females. Bad class behavior for sure. At home, despite the clicker, the treats, the hand signals, the praise – Betty White had a mind of her own. She would sit obediently for a treat in my kitchen. She would even shake (something her former owner had taught her) and shake and shake. (She’s got that skill down pat.) But the minute we ventured outside, all bets were off. Three steps and…squirrel! She was off at a right angle tearing me down the street. No amount of “leave it!” “stop!” “heel!” did anything to sway her from her appointed rounds. She was on the hunt and I was just along for the ride.

At the end of the six weeks of training, the dog trainer politely told us that we might want to register Betty for the Basic Dog Obedience training again. In other words, she failed kindergarten. Or we failed. (You know, they say the training is actually for the owners.)

I have not registered Betty White for any more formal training yet. After being somewhat humiliated the first time, I’ve tried to work with her on my own, specifically on not pulling me down the street. She actually gets a little more compliant after mile three, but you just never know when you’ll be jerked into the woods to catch a bunny. Some say I should just let her run off her energy in the back yard and not take her with me on my runs. But she gets so excited when I enter the room in my running shoes, it’s hard to say no. Guess I’m just going to get my speed work done whether I want to or not.

Despite her bad habits, Betty White and I are a team. She’s oh so happy to go run with me any time and she’s certain it’s perfectly okay to combine a recreational run with hunting for dinner. Maybe someday she’ll slow down a little. Until then, if you see me and a dog with a bouffant hairdo flying down the street (or worse yet, tearing into the woods), don’t worry. We’ll be right back with a squirrel.

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