And Your Little Dog, Too

This may come as no surprise, but I have a fantasy gym.  It's got everything I could ever want all in one compact upper east side location.  There's a boxing studio and a room with ballet bars.  There are Bosus and and free weights and pull-up bars and nary a treadmill in sight.  All activities are scheduled, and the schedule accommodates early mornings and late nights.  (Want to know more? Sign an NDA or buy me a drink.)

 

I won't claim to have thought of everything, but my fantasy gym plan is pretty thorough.  Not even in my wildest dreams, though, had this brilliant combo dawned on me: doggie daycare at the gym.  Fit Bernal Fit, which recently opened in San Francisco is offering just that. 

 

As a single dog mother, I so get this.  Not a day goes by when I don't feel guilty for the extra hour or two that my little girl is on her own while I'm at the gym.  Walking her is great, but it's not much of a workout for me.  I've been trying to introduce her to the idea of running alongside me on the Bridle Path in the park.  So far, she's happy to trot along while I jog slowly, but she's not really up for a run, especially if she can't stop and talk to the other doggies in the park along the way.  I can't blame her.  She gets enough exercise with her dog walker while I'm at work.  Besides, how far can a 15 pound dog really be expected to run?  Videos at home get boring.  And when mommy's lying on the floor, she's extra fun to pounce on.  The closest we've gotten to a fun mommy-puppy workout is Dance Fetch.  (Crank music. Dance. Throw ball. Throw ball. Throw ball.)

 

I read about Fit Bernal Fit in a recent post on SocialWorkout.  The poster commented that this would never work in Manhattan - I so disagree.  Yes, we've got space constraints, but we're also the most dog-friendly and guilt-ridden population going.  No, the doga thing didn't really catch on, but did anyone really expect it to?  Fit Bernal Fit charges $6 or $8 an hour for dogcare.  To give you some perspective, monthly membership fees with an annual membership are $45.  Convert California currency into NYC dollars, and I see this working. 

 

Anyway, if you build it, we're so there.

-Gym Belle-

 

Update on November 30, 2009 by Gym Belle

Can't get enough doggie news?  Check out today's LA Times article on the exercise the average dog owner gets walking their pooch.