Running with dogs

Monday's email brought a nice surprise from the adopter of a former shepherd foster named Virginia. This dog was adopted this past summer and I don't believe I had her very long. She's not a big girl, but apparently she is quite fast.

Virginia's adopter is a runner and he participated in the SECOND ANNUAL TREAD LIGHTLY CANINE 5K RUN/WALK in Charlottesville on Jan 24th. Jim and Virginia placed second in the race, and Jim gives credit where credit is due, saying:

Virginia deserves much of the credit. Once she figured out it was her job to run the race and not harass the other dogs, I felt like I was tethered to a four-legged heat seeking missile that was not going let obstacles or terrain get in the way of her pursuit of the lead dog. We might not have caught the lead team, but we sure left the rest of the group in the dust.

Anyone who thinks they need a large, long-legged male dog as a running companion has never tried to keep pace with a small but determined female shepherd. Congrats to Jim and Virginia. I couldn't be happier for them both. (The pictures here are from this summer when Virginia was with me as a foster.)