R.I.P. Boogie: Lab Dies 10 Days After Running a Half-Marathon

"Boogie was a rascal and he went out the way he wanted, by being a little mischievous and not being too shy to soak up the glory."

We heard some very sad news over the weekend: Boogie Butts, the chocolate Labrador who captured a gold medal (and plenty of public affection) earlier this month for finishing a half-marathon in Evanston, Indiana, died last week.

Owner Jerry Butts wrote on Boogie's webpage that the dog had died on Tuesday, Oct. 15, of a heart attack, only 10 days after his run in the Evanston Half-Marathon made him a media star. Anyone who's ever lost a pet knows the sense of grief and loss described in Jerry's announcement:

"You know him as the first dog thought to have completed a half marathon unassisted, but to me and my sons, he was our companion, our watchdog, and a member of our family. Boogie was a rascal and he went out the way he wanted, by being a little mischievous and not being too shy to soak up the glory."

Boogie was 10 years old when he died.

Boogie became an unofficial contestant after he slipped his leash the night before the race. Coming across a large mass of people running down the street, he apparently thought that joining in sounded like good fun, and continued all the way to the finish line.

Boogie ran 13 of the 13.1 miles in two hours and 15 minutes, besting 1,128 human runners. (In defense of the human contestants, having two extra legs may be considered an unfair advantage.) Although he didn't come in first, and wasn't actually an official contestant, Boogie was awarded a medal and got much more press coverage than any other entrant; the attention includd stories by Time and an appearance on Today. Jerry Butts and his family say that they are asking people to make donations to the Vanderburgh Humane Society in Boogie's memory.

On Facebook, Jerry closed Boogie's death announcement by saying, "Don't forget to hug your furry family members a little closer this evening." That's sweet and solid advice.

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Puppy Running Fast

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Running with Yellow Dog Pt.1

Obesity in America has reached epidemic proportions. Many sources claim as much as 2/3 of the adult America population is considered obese and the percentages are steadily increasing every year. Its mind blowing to see statistics like that in a culture that seems overly obsessed with style and body image. We are inundated with magazines articles, advertisements and commercials featuring anorexic looking models and actors at every turn. Children are barraged with tv commercials selling sugar cereals, candy, snack cakes and general “junk food”. Weight loss and fitness infomercials command the late night airwaves raking in over $2 billion (that’s billion with a B) annually for the past 10 years. People are desperate for results and quick fixes, shelling out their hard earned money to “do anything to get thin”. Anything that is… but cutting down on portion size and exercise.

I have to admit I fell into that viscous cycle and became president of my very own pity-party club because my weight had gotten so out of control and I felt helpless to do anything about it. The task seemed so daunting and overwhelming that I didn’t even know where to begin. So a little over a year ago i decided to pull up my bootstraps and commit to get fit and loose weight. I joined an experimental Weight Watchers group at Bark Park (read about it here). I didn’t really learn much but it was fun and a starting point. For me it was about accountability and I portion control. The session ended and the group disbanded when the park owner’s dog Bert was diagnosed with stage 4 cancer.

I continued on my own over the winter. Watching my intake, counting my calories and trying my very best to stay away from sugar. In April, I tripped over Rufus on the stairs and fell and tore the ACL in my right knee. It was a total set back. I joined a gym the beginning of the summer in hopes of rehabbing my knee and kick starting my metabolism. I started out lifting weights and doing resistance exercises with a personal trainer. I enjoyed it but didn’t see the results as quickly as I had wanted and got discouraged. At first I saw very little progress on the scale, but I could tell my body was changing and I was actually getting muscles. I was determined not to give up this time and kept making myself go even when it seemed futile. This is when I first “met” the treadmill and started my love affair with running.

I started out walking very slowly for a few minutes at a time and continued to push myself a little more every day. I added in little bursts of running (more like shuffling) and worked my way up. I couldn’t run more than 15 seconds at a time at first but I kept at it and continued to push myself more every day. I had to work through alot of emotional baggage and learn to quiet the voice in my head that told me I couldn’t do it and was worthless. Running has provided me with the “me time” I so desperately needed to develop a better relationship with myself and really the opportunity to tell that voice in my head to shut the heck up.

I bought an iPod and Nike+ Shoe Sensor and stared logging my miles on the computer and posting my results to facebook. I was amazed how many people were so supportive and it offered the accountability I needed. One of my supporters suggested I try a half marathon in November. I thought it was a good goal, attainable or not. So I started working towards it. I added running in my neighborhood to the repertoire to get my knees used to the pounding of the pavement. I found it gave me a feeling of freedom and helped me burn off some pent up anxiety and stress. It became an almost every night event. Something I looked forward to all day long. I made significant progress in my distances and decided I was going to take the plunge and run my first half marathon a few months earlier than I had originally planned. I signed up and ran the 13.1 mile half marathon portion Emerald City Half and Quarter Marathon on September 5. My time wasn’t fabulous, but I finished it and it felt great.

I have made strides loosing weight (85 pounds and counting) and getting healthier. My journey is ongoing and some days its easier than others. I suppose at this point you are wondering why I am baring my soul to everyone since this is a blog about my dogs, not me. Funny you should ask…. this is a just some background for my next few blog posts on Running with your Dog. I am not the only beneficiary of my “get fit” motto – Apollo (aka Yellow Dog) is my dedicated running partner and is reaping the emotional and physical rewards of a nightly run with mom.

Part 2, Thursday…

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