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D.L. Stewart: Exercise program fails to make splash with water-resistant pooch
Sunday, February 17, 2008
Except for chewing, yapping and jumping onto my lower groin just as I am nodding off in front of the television, our Yorkshire terrier doesn't get a lot of exercise.
We walk him twice a day, but I'm not sure how much cardiovascular benefit he gets from that, because every 10 steps he stops to lift his leg. We've given up trying to get him to play fetch; if we toss a ball across the living room he'll just sit there with a look on his face that says, "Why should I go get it? You're the one who threw it." My wife thinks we should sell our condo and buy a house with a big yard so he'll have room to run, but I know how that would play out: he'd spend all day lying under a tree watching me mow the lawn.
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As a result, he's part of the estimated 40 percent of American dogs that are overweight, even though his diet consists largely of vegetables and he's switched to light beer. But when I read about a new place in Cincinnati that features an indoor swimming pool for dogs, I'm thinking it could be the solution.
"Swimming is the best total-body-conditioning" exercise a dog can engage in, a veterinary neurosurgeon told USA Today. According to the article, she "regularly prescribes it for dogs with neurological problems or after surgeries. She also regards swimming as ideal for healthy pets."
So even though I'm not sure he can swim, the dog and I drive to the Red Dog Pet Resort & Spa, which offers "Five-Star Service for Your Four-Legged Friend." And the $3 million facility is, indeed, the canine and feline equivalent of a Ritz Carlton, with custom-designed suites, flat-screen televisions, soothing music, daily maid service and therapy massages. It's one of the few pet spas anywhere that offers its guests bedtime stories and tuck-in service. But we're not here to luxuriate. So I take him to the pool, strap him into a life jacket and tell him to hop in.
At this point, the dog is understandably confused. Not only has he never been swimming, we won't let him walk through puddles. We shake our fingers at him when he puts a paw in his water bowl. And now I'm trying to get him to jump into the biggest water bowl he's ever seen.
When it becomes obvious that he's not about to leave dry land of his own free will, I pick him up, wade into the pool, lower him into the water and wait to find out if he can swim.
What I find out is that just because he can swim doesn't mean he wants to. Because he immediately dog-paddles to the closest edge of the pool and attempts to climb out. I pull him back into the middle of the pool. He makes another break for it. I drag him back into the middle again and roll over on my back in the water, thinking that maybe seeing me floating will help relax him. This time, instead of heading for the edge of the pool, he scrambles up onto my stomach.
After a few minutes of floating around with seven pounds of soggy doggy on my stomach, I realize that, no matter what we try, this dog is exercise-resistant.
And that he'll probably always be a porky Yorkie.
Pooches in a pool
What: Red Dog Pet Resort & Spa
Where: 5081 Madison Road, Cincinnati. (513) 733-3647, www.red-dogs.com
Office hours: 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday to Friday; 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday; noon to 3 p.m. Sunday
Aquatic fun swim: $20 for 15 minutes
Fitness swim: $50 for 30 minutes
Contact this writer at (937) 225-2439 or at dlstewart@DaytonDaily News.com.
