Dear Oscar, I just looked over your running log. Those are alot of miles! Do you get any exercise beyond that listed on the log? A Fan from 'Frisco

Dear Fan,
The Running Log isn't the half of it! Listen. The runs I put down in the Log are the runs I do on my leash with my humans. They know how far they go, and I can get that information by listening to them gripe about it later ("Wow, that was the hardest four miles of my life!" or "Wow, that sure seemed longer than seven miles!"). So I record those runs in my running log. The real exercise in my life comes when I am off my leash, running in the fields around my house or playing in the yard. But I'm a dog; I don't care about mileages, target heart rates, or calories burned. Because I can't really quantify those more intensive workouts (and because they happen like three to eight times a day!), I don't usually write them in the Log.

Don't think I don't enjoy running with my humans; on the contrary, I love it! Take this morning, for example. It was a beautiful morning, and we ran a couple of Richmond dirt roads. At one point, we came out from under the canopy of pine trees into some rolling fields. We could see Camel's Hump off in the distance. I jogged through some puddles in the drainage ditch alongside the road while we ran. Anyone who drove by us could see by the huge grin on my face that I was having a great time.

I don't really care what form my outdoor activity takes: running free in the fields, running on a leash, swimming in the river or lake, hunting, or just heading out on a lazy walk on the leash. It's all great activity, and I'll take it every time it comes my way.

Your friend, Oscar

Dear Oscar, I like drawing. What is your favorite summer activity? Yours truly, Pam

Dear Pam, I am a dog of many interests -- only one of which is opening up mail from readers such as yourself and writing responses on this blog. Thank you for your question, and don't be afraid to keep them coming.

We are deep into what are known as the "dog days of summer." And they are properly named; summer is all about being a dog. Here is a list of some of my favorite summer activities:

-- Sleeping
-- Running on the roads with my humans
-- Running on the trails with my humans
-- Running in the fields without my humans
-- Running in the woods without my humans
-- Swimming
-- Sitting in the sun
-- Playing with Waffle the kitty
-- Eating
-- Snacking

Yep, that about covers it. Summer sure is a nice season. Enjoy!
Your friend, Oscar

(Note: Photo by Judy Robinson)

A Recommendation

In case you are thinking of hurling yourself from a moving vehicle, I don't recommend it. And I should know; I tried it this morning at 35 miles per hour on the road to the Aiken Camp.

Please, not all at once; I'll answer your questions one at a time...


-- Yes, I ran the automatic window down with my paw.
-- Yes, I voluntarily jumped out my own window.
-- Yes, I rolled rear-end over teakettle when I hit the pavement.
-- No, I was not seriously injured, other than a couple of scratches.
-- Yes, it scared me and yes, I ran into the woods and eventually several miles down to someone's camp on the OTHER side of Route 2 (the crossing of which was probably even more dangerous than jumping out the window)
-- Yes, I played with the kids at this camp for over an hour while Mark and Ali searched the bogs, swamps, and poisen ivy patches of North Hero, figuring I was dead.
-- Yes, the guy whose camp I landed at found Mark and Ali's phone number on my dog tags, and yes, the guy's brother plays hockey with Mark on Monday nights!
-- No, I don't know what I was thinking.
-- No, I don't plan on repeating the stunt. Even if I did, I doubt my humans will ever let me sit next to another open window.

THANK YOU: to Matt Tomberg and Kate and Ian Thurston for searching the roads for me when they heard about my accident. Also to Mary for her great guidance to my owner and to Frank and my good friend Fanny who joined the search IMMEDIATELY upon hearing about my situation.

I think most people would have advised against such a stunt. But sometimes a dog just wants to try to figure things out for himself.