I'll admit it: If it wasn't for my four dogs, I’d likely live a sedentary hermit life and dine exclusively on PBJ sandwiches. Thanks to my pack, I spend at least 10 hours a week out and about in an effort to keep us all conditioned. I also pay more attention to what I eat as I've learned more about how my dogs' diets affect their performance in canine sports.
 
Studies now show that dog owners tend to get more exercise [3] compared to someone sans canine. This must explain why I even started taking a Doga class with my mix, Ginger Peach. Traditional yoga seemed vaguely interesting but I didn't invest in a yoga mat and find out how to pronounce "namaste" until I found out I could bring my dog to class, too.
 
What's funny is that I know humans need exercise, too, but when I didn't have dogs, that wasn't enough to motivate me to get out there and run around the neighborhood. Why is it that we'll do things with our dogs that we wouldn’t do without them? Would you be as active if you didn’t have a dog?