My Golden Gym by Marcia Passos Duffy

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Title: "My Golden Gym"

Author: Marcia Passos Duffy

E-mail: editor@theheartofnewengland.com

Web Address: www.TheHeartofNewEngland.com

Category: Health/Fitness/Pets

“My Golden Gym”

By Marcia Passos Duffy

Editor & publisher

The Heart of New England

www.theheartofnewengland.com

“Don’t accept your dog’s admiration as conclusive

evidence that you are wonderful.” -- Ann Landers

A year ago, almost to the day, I had an epiphany while

exercising at my local gym. I was on a treadmill

sweating along with about 30 other people, glued to the

latest CNN horrors on the big-screen, when I glanced

outside at the absolutely gorgeous spring day.

That was the precise moment when I decided to get a

dog.

Okay, it wasn’t the “precise” moment…because I had been

toying with the idea for almost a year. But up until

that moment last year on the treadmill, I felt there

was really no good reason to get a dog other than to

complicate my already busy life and to add another

mouth to feed along with our 2 children, 4 guinea pigs,

3 cats, 3 fish, and a then-leased horse for our

daughter.

But the more I looked outside that day, the more I

wanted to be out there, walking, maybe even jogging,

alongside a furry devoted friend. Yes, the dog would

have a purpose – it would be my walking dog! An

exercise dog. A reason to get out of that stuffy gym

and into the great outdoors! After all, what was the

point of living in scenic Northern New England of the

country if I rarely got outside to enjoy it? And I

never walked in the woods alone – my New York

mentality (where I grew up) and paranoia would not

allow it -- my heart raced with every squirrel or

bird that snapped a twig or rustled a leaf.

My dog would be my protector – at least a deterrent --

against any would-be assassin/rapist/kidnapper lurking

in the woods.

Suddenly, the reason to get a dog made perfect sense.

In his insightful book, “The New Work of Dogs” John

Katz makes the case for the new role of dogs. Once

herders, guard and hunting dogs, now our canine friends

have a new work: tending to life, love and family. Dogs

need a job, and they will adapt to whatever

circumstances their human companions give them. What I

wanted from my dog was simple: security while walking

in the woods and a reason to walk everyday.

Go to Page 2

BIO:

Marcia Passos Duffy is a freelancer writer and publisher/editor of The Heart of New England online magazine. www.TheHeartofNewEngland.com

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