5K = 5 meals?

Yesterday was the 14th annual Furry5K to raise money for Seattle Animal Shelter, and it was our third time going! I've been running and training for a half marathon in August and for-sure wanted to run this one. Ellie is no longer a runner since she can't see, but fortunately Chris was able to join me and walk with her.

My personal goal was to run an average of under 8 minute miles and I did it! I would have been even faster but there was a huuuge hill in the middle that seemed to go on forever! 

Anyway, we collected lots of loot-- treat and food samples galore, plus a few for us humans and brought it home. Ellie had a great time bumping noses with all the other dogs and was SO well behaved. She must have figured that dog noses would keep bumping her unexpectedly (because she can't see them coming) and to just go with the flow. 

However... after we got home and she crashed out, we had to run to the store to prepare for dinner. We returned to crumbs and treat wrappers spread all over the floor. Some of those samples were freeze-dried meals so Ellie had 3-4 meals worth of food in a very short period of time! My bad for leaving them on the counter where she could reach. :(

Bad dog!

Chuckit!

A few days ago, Chris and I decided to take Ellie on the 1-mile walk to his old high school football field to throw the ball. Well, we had such a great time, that we've been there the last three nights in a row! Ellie absolutely loves getting to sprint off-leash since she doesn't get much of an opportunity like this.

Funny story: the very first throw of the first day, Ellie sprints after the ball and once she catches up to it, she does a roll-over on the grass, as though she was trying to show off for us! I think she probably just lost control of her momentum, but it was still hilarious!

She was dog-tired after all the playing. :)

Crashed out

That tongue!

Happy dog

Weekend outdoor adventures

On Sunday I decided to get up and outside early before the day got too warm, so I took Ellie to Marymoor dog park bright and early in the morning.

When I first got Ellie, she loved to play with other dogs and go say hello to every dog and person she saw. These days, she seems more interested in claiming the entire 42 acre park by leaving her mark.
She marked...

Said hello...

And marked some more.

On the way back, we went to a blueberry farm where I picked around 2 pounds of blueberries to make some yummy treats! Ellie was very good and hung out in the grass while I picked.

Ellie: A Sprinter, Not A Marathoner

I have recently taken up running as a new form of exercise, just to see if I could do it. In the past, I had falsely believed that I could not run due to bad knees, but after a couple weeks of running, I have proven myself wrong!

After getting some decent shoes, I decided that I would take my running off the treadmill and outside because I figured Ellie would enjoy joining me.

Boy was I wrong.

We ran about 3 miles total, and after the first 5-6 blocks, she was lagging behind me, and continued to lag behind me the entire rest of the way. My little pupper is so out of shape!

I have seen her sprint SO fast at the dog park chasing after other dogs or balls before, but I guess it's just that. She's a sprinter, not a marathoner.

After we got home, Ellie crashed out right by the front door (she didn't have the energy to bring herself to her bed) and slept for 3-4 hours. Looks like we'll be going on more runs so I can whip my Whippet [mix] back into shape!