How To Play It Safe While Exercising With Your Dog

Carol Erickson joins Eyewitness News with some advice.

HERE WE ARE SEEING IT ISWARMING UP AND PROPER WAY TOEXERCISE WITH YOUR DOG WORKSOCIAL DISTANCING, IN MIND.SPEAKING OF CARROLL IS SOCIALDISTANCING THIS WEEKEND ATHOME.CARROLL.WELL, IT SEEMS LIKE IT HASBEEN A LONG TIME DOESN'T IT?NOW THAT THE WEATHER ISFINALLY GETTING BETTER, PEOPLEWILL BE GOING OUT THIS WEEKENDWITH THEIR DOGS.I HAVE SEEN THEM OUT ANDABOUT, THOUGH, DRIVING AROUND,YOU SEE PEOPLE WALKING DOGS ITPROBABLY HAS NEVER BEEN MORETHAN HALF BLOCK FROM THEIRHOME, THEY ARE 2 MILES FROMTHEIR HOUSE WALKING WITH THEIROWNERS AND IT IS GRA IT TO GETTHEM OUT THERE WITH THEEXERCISE BUT OF COURSE, ASTHEY ALWAYS SAY WE HAVE TOTAKE THESE EXERCISE,INCREASINGLY DIFFICULTINCREMENTS VERY SLOWLY.AND, YOU KNOW THERE IS ABACKYARD WARRIOR, I WILL SHOWYOU VIDEO RIGHT NOW.THIS IS THE DOG FINNEGAN, HEIS THE ONE WHO LOVES TO WATCHTHE PET PROJECT.HE IS SLOWING DOWN.OLD BORDER COLLIE.THAT IS HIS OWNER PAT RUNNINGAROUND IN THE BACKYARD.YOU HAVE TO REMEMBER WHEN YOUTAKE YOUR PETS OUT IS THEY MAYBE SLOWING DOWN.THEY MAY WANT TO PLAY BECAUSETHAT IS JUST WHAT DOGS WANT TODO.YOU HAVE TO BE MINDFUL OFTHEIR CONDITIONS, AND WHETHEROR NOT IT IS JUST TOO MUCH FORTHEM.AND CONSTANT HOUR AFTER HOURHIGH IMPACT GAMES WILL NOT BEA GOOD THING FOR SOME OF THESEDOGS.START SLOWLY.ON THE WALKING, YOU KNOW, THEYHAVE A MAKER OF THE GPSTRACKING DEVICE AND THEYDECIDED AND COME UP WITHSCIENTIFIC EVIDENCE THAT RIGHTNEW DURING THIS COVID-19 DOGSARE TAKING ABOUT A THOUSANDMORE STEPS, A DAY, BECAUSETHEIR OWNERS ARE SO TIRED OFBEING IN THE HOUSE THEY ARESAYING, FIDO, COME ON WE'REGOING OUT AGAIN.SO IF YOU ARE DOING THAT, THATIS GREAT BUT REMEMBER WHATEVERTHAT BASE LINE WAS WHAT YOUSTARTED AND INCREMENTALLY DOIT SLOWLY ANOTHER FIVE MINUTESOF THE WALK AND THEN YOU CANBOTH BUILD UP YOUR STAMINA FORTHAT.OTHER THING SMALL DOGS INECESSITY WE LOVE TO RUN ANDSMALL DOGS LOVE TO RUN.EXPERTS ARE SAYING THEY ARE INTHE REALLY GOOD CANDIDATES FORRUNNING ALONGSIDE OF YOUBECAUSE THESE STRIDE OF THEDOG AND HUMAN IS JUST SODIFFERENT THAT YOU DO NOT WANTTO DO THAT.YOU HAVE TO BE VERY, VERYMINDFUL OF THAT.AND THEN LET ME SEE WHAT ELSEWE NEED, OH, YES, THIS IS VERYIMPORTANT.THIS IS SOCIAL DISTANCING IFYOU ARE OUT, YOU HAVE YOUR6-FOOT LEASH.YOU SEE ANOTHER DOG AND YOUGET THOSE DOGS ENTANGLED,OTHER DOGS COME UP BE CAREFULKEEPING THAT 6-FOOTDISTANCING, WE HAVE A 6-FOOTLEASH MAKE SURE DOGS DO NOTGET TO SNIFF NOSES AND THENSAFE FROM THE OTHER DOGS ANDTHEN SAFE FROM THE SOCIALDISTANCING, PROBLEMS, THAT MAYBE, YOU MIGHT FIND THATSOMEONE HAD THIS VIRUS.ALL SORTS OF THE THINGS WEHAVE TO NORMALLY THINK OF ANDWE CONTINUE TO THINK OF ALL OFIT.OTHER THING WE ARETHINKING ABOUT PENNSYLVANIASPCA, OF COURSE, ADOPTIONS ANDFOSTERING AND WE ARE DOING ANDTHE CITY AND SUBURBS DOING APHENOMENAL JOB HELPING ANIMALSGET OUT OF THE SHELTER ANDINTO HOMES, FOSTER AT LEAST ASMANY PEOPLE ARE ADOPTING ASWELL AND WE DO HAVE A COUPLEOF OTHER ANIMALS, IN FOSTERRIGHT NOW BUT UP FOR ADOPTIONAND I WANT TO SHOW YOU THEIRPICTURES RIGHT NOW.LOVE THIS NAME, JUICY FRUIT,THIS IS A DOG THAT IS A BIG,STRONG, ACTIVE GIRL.SHE WOULD JUST LOVE TO BE INYOUR HOUSE.SHE IS AN ADULT ONLY DOG.SHE'S FIVE YEARS OLD.THEY ARE GREAT FOR BEGINNERSAND THEY ARE BETTER FOR PEOPLEWITH SOME DOG EXPERIENCE AND IWOULD SAY JUICY FRUIT HAS BEENTO THE DOG EXPERIENCE CATEGORYBUT A REALLY NICE DOG, AND INFOSTER RIGHT NOW.AND THEN WE HAVE ROXY ANOTHERACTIVE GIRL, YOU WANT TO BURNA FEW CALORIES SHE WILL HELPYOU DO THAT.SO ROXY IS OLDER, 10 YEARSOLD, NOTHING BEATS THE OLDERDOGS AS FAR AS I'M CONCERN.THEY ARE JUST FABULOUS.AND THEN THE CATS, WE HAVE HADTHIS CATON LAST WEEKEND ASWELL.DOMESTIC SHORT HAIR.SHE HAD A ROUGH LIFE.SHE JUST WANTS A SAFE, SECUREPLACE.DON'T WE ALL.I THINK IF YOU CAN, FOSTER,ADOPT ANY OF THESE ANIMALSTHAT WOULD BE ABSOLUTELYPERFECT.PENNSYLVANIA SPCA JUST GOTHERE ALL SORTS OF THEINFORMATION, THAT YOU WILL BEFINDING EXTREMELY HELPFUL.LET ME RECAP JUST OUREXERCISE GUIDELINES RIGHT NOWAND THAT IS, IF YOU ARE SAFELYEXERCISING WITH YOUR DOG, MAKESURE YOU START WITH SLOWSPEEDS AND SHORTER TIMEDURATION IF YOU ARE JUSTSTARTING A NEW EXERCISE SMALLDOGS AND THEY LOVE TO RUNAROUND BUT NOT ON A LEASH NEXTTO YOU IF YOU ARE RUNNINGBECAUSE IN A DIFFERENT STRIDELENGTH AND DON'T OVERDUE HIGHIMPACT BACKYARD ACTIVITIESWITH YOUR DOG IT MAY NOT BEEASY FOR YOU AND WHO DO I HAVEON MY KNEE, MY CONSTANTCOMPANION MARVIN, HE IS WITHME THROUGH THICK AND THIN ANDWE CANNOT WAIT FOR IT TO GET ALOT NICER OUT IN EVERY SENSE