Kasey lives for ball. And he can't just chase it and bring it back, he has to run and get it, and put his nose to the ground and sniff the exact path that the ball took to get there. What's bad is that he's an environmental allergy dog, and we found out yesterday that grass is a HUGE trigger. Allergy shots didn't work, along with many other trials, so we are currently on a new protocol and he has been doing a bit better lately. Till today - after we played for 20 minutes in a big grassy field yesterday. He is absolutely miserable today - chewing and biting his feet like he's just gonna die. I feel so bad.

So our hunch turned out to be true - no ball playing on grass for Kasey. We live in the city and have no where to play ball except the dog park - never been there, never will go there. Dogs are not allowed off leash ANYWHERE except in your own yard or right in front of your house. So the only way we can play ball with Kasey is to throw it down the sidewalk out front of our house. If we do that a couple times a week for 15 -20 minutes or so, is it going to hurt joints or anything? I've heard some people say it will, and some say it won't. How do I know how much I can get away with, so he can have some fun, and how much will hurt him?

Thanks in advance for info you have on this.

Remind us... how old is Kasey? Also have you tried bathing after these grass romps?

He is 3 1/2 yrs old. And yes, we only did it because we intended on giving him a bath right when we got home anyway! But apparently it was too late and he had already breathed it all in!

I wonder if Vibram dog boots might be a help at all? We tried them once at a local store and they do have these nice shock-absorbent Vibram soles. The uppers are mesh but they could be too hot for SoCal anyway. The people at our very nice family pet store told us they are very popular with hikers who take their dogs on rocky trails.

Edited by Ana Kozlowsky (02/01/2010 11:28 PM)
Edit reason: grammar

Well if it's pollen inhaled that's the issue there won't be a lot of relief anywhere outdoors. You'll need to find an indoor option, contact a kennel club for suggestions on indoor dog training areas.

If it's actual contact a light long line and an empty tennis court might be the way to go.

As a long time runner, I can tell you that concrete is the absolute WORST surface to run on. Runners avoid it all costs. The impact on your joints running on concrete compared to even asphalt is huge. I would never run my dog on concrete, and certainly not for 15-20' at a time on a regular basis. The stresses have to be as bad on them as it is on us--and doing it everyday, year in and year out cannot be a good thing. Tere are lots of links on running on concrete--here's one to start. http://www.thefinalsprint.com/2006/07/concrete-vs-asphalt-which-is-the-better-running-surface/ Good luck with your problem--that's a tough one.

Poor Kasey and family. What a conundrum. I can't speak to running on concrete, but here's another thought. Friends with beagles divided their backyard and mulched part so the dogs can dig and tunnel. They retained green grass for humans by creative fencing. This might be something you could consider for Kasey.