My comical weekend workout

So this weekend I added some physical activity to my goals. It was so beautiful Saturday afternoon that I couldn't resist not being outside so I got the idea to grab the dog and leash, throw on my badly neglected running shoes and enjoy a walk and what turned into a lame jogging attempt (hey ya gotta start somewhere right?) through the country. Little did I know the adventure I was in for.

Let me first stop and tell you a little about my dog. She is an 8 year old Siberian Husky who I've had since she was 6 weeks old. Meet Sky.

                                                                                                                                                                  

  

             

Now...when it comes to this rotten dog, I am shamelessly very overprotective. I will admit that I baby her more than should be allowed but so what. She is very loved.

Anyway, we head off down the road. I'm getting my blood pumping and thinking this is going to be a great workout. About a half mile later, Sky and I are enjoying the sights when 2 tiny but ferocious looking dogs come running from their yard, trying to intimidate us as we go past. I decide to try the stare down approach and dare them to come any closer. They back down. I think I'm the intimidating one and we continue on our way.

This picture was taken just before all chaos broke loose (in my mind anyway). Remember me telling you I'm overprotective of the pooch? After I snapped the pic, we start walking again and I hear rustling in the brush. I look over, see a field RAT and about jump out of my skin. Trying to stay calm, I look one way to see a HUGE black dog who is slowly and silently creeping up on us. Turning the other way, those 2 tiny dogs who apparently weren't intimidated after all are RUNNING towards us. For a split second I consider picking Sky up and taking off with her in my arms but thankfully, I consider it long enough to realize that if this desolate road did see any traffic today, it would probably be right now, at the moment they would see a crazy lady running from 3 dogs with a big Husky cradled in her arms, a Husky 3 times the size of the 2 smaller ones. I decide to save myself the possible embarrassment and calmly turn around back towards the house. 

No more drama unfolded on the way home and we safely make it back. Sky had a great time. I, on the other hand, learn 2 new things about myself. One, I obviously am not as big and bad as I thought I was. You seriously should have seen the size of the dang field rat. Two, if a situation ever arose in which I needed a weapon for protection, it wouldn't be for possible intruders but rather for walks, runs and bikes along the country roads where dogs, rats and even turkeys are on a mission to terrorize me. (The turkeys are another story altogether but remember William Macy's character in Wild Hogs where the vulture is stalking him as he's walking his bike down the road? Yeah, that was me on one of my bike rides, except this was a family of turkeys. The visual of that is entertainment in and of itself.)