Keep them doggie's rollin'!

When I was 8...or 9...(or maybe 7? *haha*) I got my first pair of rollerskates. Like REAL rollerskates...not the Fisher Price ones with the bell inside the wheel that seemed to make it impossible to even move. Being a bit of a daredevil, I took to them immediately. I don't mean to brag, but I became a darn good little skater. (Hey I have to take joy in the few talents I excell in, right? ;) ) I could do turns, twirls, skate backwards and all that good stuff, plus I was really FAST and could stop on a dime. I participated in all the "contests" at the roller rink and positively lived for the speed-skate song when I could fly by the older boys and even the show-off teenager "referees." :) My bestest childhood buddy Ellen and I felt like we ruled the rink and had delusions of becoming amazing professional rollerskaters someday. 

Rollerblades came along and became the cool thing, but I stuck to my skates. I never liked the way rollerblades felt on my ankles and wasn't nearly as coordinated in them. It became more and more difficult to find my favorite skates (which were more like tennis shoes than the boot skates you see as rentals at rinks) and eventually I did wear out my last pair. (I'd wear the stoppers right down to the screw, to the point the metal would leave marks on the driveway. Oops! Daddy, I need some new skates!) It was very sad. :(

Well several years ago, Skechers came out with a pair of rollerskates that closely resembled the kind I used to get as a kid. Except these were Skechers, so they were automatically cooler! I got a pair for Christmas that year. It was so exciting. The first time I went out on them I was a little wobbly (more height + more weight = more to carry on 8 wheels!) but eventually I regained my coordination and I'd say I'm pretty decent again. Here's a picture of my beloved skates, sporting the pom-poms a friend of mine bought for me for my Birthday. (I had a skating party for my 24th Birthday...I know, I'm so grown up. It was SOOOO fun!!! And while we were there, I mentioned that I'd always envied the girls with the cute pom-poms on their skates. And tada, I got a pair of my own! So sweet, right?)

When we were a two-dog household, I used to take Wrigley and MoJo rollerskating all the time. (Note to the sarcastic: *I* was the one rollerskating. Not the dogs.) They loved getting to run full speed and I liked the fact that it wore them out in half the time. Normally I make them walk beside me, but Cesar Milan (the Dog Whisperer, aka, my hero) says that it's alright to let dogs run ahead when you're skating with them...even letting them PULL you, because it equals a job or a task for the dog to perform. Just like a husky would pull a sled or a sheepdog would herd sheep, the task is actually good for them mentally as well as physically. And I enjoyed it too, so I did it with the boys every chance we'd get.

But when we added Cubby to the family, I stopped this because I didn't think I could control all three of them while on wheels. I could just picture them getting tangled up around my feet, making me nose-dive into the pavement and knocking all my teeth out or breaking my nose. (Yes I have an overactive, morbid imagination.) And Cubby probably couldn't have kept up last Summer anyway, since he was still a tiny tyke. But he's big enough now and they're so good on walks, I decided to pull out the skates and give it a go yesterday.

It went SO WELL! Cubby was a little frightened by the big clunky wheels on my feet at first, but when he saw how excited his brothers were about it, he decided they weren't that bad afterall. He was by far the slowest of the three, though. It was funny...he would run up and pass Wrigley, look back at him like "HA! I passed you!" but then immediately fall to the back of the group, even behind ME to the point I felt like I was dragging him. He couldn't figure out how to keep a steady pace. *haha* He's still a silly little puppy.

I thought MoJo would be the most excited about running, since he's our high-energy-go-go-go guy, but Wrigley was just ecstatic! He was running as fast as he could, ears back, tongue hanging, tail straight out. He looked like a shorter, stalkier greyhound. :) And not once did anyone dart out in front of me or tangle around each other. I stayed upright the whole time. *haha* And today my thighs and rear are quite sore, so it's clear that the dogs didn't do all the work.