On my errands this morning, I saw a woman jogging with two dogs in Wedgwood. She wore a vest with the words Jogs for Dogs [1] on the back. As soon as I got home, I googled the phrase and discovered another business I should have thought up. (Back in the early 1980s, I wanted to create a line of men's underwear for women. Months later, Madonna put boxers on the fashion map. But I digress.)
Jogs for Dogs is exactly what it sounds like: Young, dog-loving, mile-hungry runners leash up your exercise-deprived pup for loops of three to six miles with no more than one other running buddy. (Available on both sides of Lake Washington, from once a week for $27 to five times a week for $110.) Runs come complete with warm up, cool down, and an email report of your dog's fitness, behavior, etc. In partnership with the doggie boutique Buster & Sullivan [1], the company also provides an option for dog jogs along the Burke Gilman Trail, while owners work up a sweat shopping in University Village.
The idea is catching on. Brendan Fahey, who founded the company last March, logs an average of 13 miles a day with several partners. His running squad is comprised of athlete-friends from the University of Washington, where he earned a degree in Earth and Space Science in 2006. While he has a dozen fleet-footed regulars, including a 40-year-old stay-at-home dad, he's looking for more. At first the problem was finding clients, Fahey says. Now the problem is finding runners.
From dogsledding in Fairbanks to tracking down lost pups with a pet detective in Fresno, Pet Dish blogger Lisa Wogan explores the world of dogs and their people for Bark magazine, and in books such as Unleashed: Climbing Canines, Hiking Hounds, Fishing Fidos, and Other Daring Dogs. She lives in Seattle with rescue dogs Lulu and Renzo.
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