Harper, the Biggest Loser

As I've mentioned before our sweet collie/beagle mix, Harper, has gained a whopping 4 pounds since Carter started feeding himself.  I figured it out to be about 15% of her body weight.  I was disgusted and disappointed in myself that I had allowed it to happen.  I immediately went into serious, let's cut some weight off that doggy's body so she can live longer mode.  We cut back on her dog food servings from 3/4 of a cup twice a day to around 1/2 cup or a little more twice a day.  Originally when Carter would throw food on the floor I would get something to clean it up, while I was gone Harper would eat it, and I would wipe up the remaining mess.  It was convenient for me and left me with less cleaning to do.  Harper was happy, Carter laughed when she ate, it was a win-win-win for all.  Or so it seemed until 4 pounds later and our dog is suddenly way less active/out of shape!  We've tried to limit the amount of human food Harper receives as well which isn't quite as easy.  If she doesn't lose the extra weight in a reasonable amount of time I will have to resort to putting her outside anytime Carter is eating.

We want her around for as long as possible so we can enjoy plenty of moments like these!

 

 

 

Now that I'm home and have more time to take care of Carter and Harper, it is a priority to make sure Harper either runs or walks at least once a day.  I've taken it very seriously and when I'm going on a shorter run I even take her for a run in the morning and then we take her for a walk in the afternoon.  On Tuesday she ran 4 miles in the morning and took a walk in the afternoon.  She didn't rock the 4 miles like she normally does, but I didn't think much of it.  Then Wednesday morning I planned to run 5 miles and I decided to take Harper with us.  On the way out she was lagging behind or sandbagging on me.  The leash was pulled as tight as it would go and my arm was getting tired.  I was frustrated and a bit concerned.  I decided to turn around at 2 miles, see how she did on the way back and then possibly put her in the car with the windows down while Carter and I finished out the last mile.  The 2 miles back to the car weren't good, but they were a little bit better, possibly because Harper knew we were on the return trip and therefore would finish soon.  So I decided to go ahead and keep running with Harper.  As we passed the parking lot to run a half mile out in the other direction Harper immediately began to lag a little bit again.  We made it out to 4 and a half miles and before I had the chance to turn around, Harper thought f*# this and sat down in the middle of the trail.  She was in protest, we turn around or you will have to drag me.  Little did she know we were turning around anyway, but she was triumphant and a little less of a sandbagger that last half mile.

Harper enjoying a mandatory walk!

When we got home Harper was still panting and worn out.  She was grumpy with Carter all day and generally just not her sweet self.  I kept thinking what a stinker, I know she can do this, she used to run 8 miles in under 8 minute pace with me!  Why is she being such a lazy, sandbagging dog?!!?  Then I actually stopped to think about it.  Harper has gained 4 pounds or 15% of her body weight.  That is equivalent to me gaining 19 pounds or being close to 30 weeks pregnant.  Would I be able to run my normal distance and pace with an extra 19 pounds?  The answer is a very obvious "no"!  I felt so bad expecting Harper's regular running abilities when she is obviously out of shape and overweight.  Poor little Lee Lee was basically thrown into the doggy version of "The Biggest Loser" where they are put on strict diets and asked to do crazy workouts that are not appropriate for their current activity level and body size.  The show drives me nuts because it is so extreme and there is no way the people on the show will actually be able to maintain their weight loss in real life.  Was that what I wanted to do to Harper?  Did I want to be that crazy trainer who expects her team to run a half-marathon with no training?  Obviously not.  So I've taken a step back, I've realized that my worry for Harper's health made me go a little nuts, and we are sticking to mostly walks for now until she gets back into running shape.  This morning we ran from home.  Harper wanted to go and I was running 3 miles.  She seemed tired about a mile in, so we looped back by home and dropped her off.  We're going to take it slow and Harper will be one contestant who will keep the weight off!  I'm hanging up my crazy trainer hat and putting on my supportive smile and we'll take it a bit slower.  Although I still want her to lose those 4 points right now, darn it!!!!

Trying to relax after a tiring workout, but Carter wasn't having it!