Eko can romp with the best of them in the winter.  He loves bounding through the snow, and with his jacket and boots on, Eko is happy to play his head off.  While winter is great, Eko's one true love is summer.  He can ditch the jacket and boots and participate in his favorite activity - sunbathing.  After a long, gray winter, the sun is back and Eko couldn't be happier.

The sun first enters my apartment through the side window, and Eko is always there to greet it with his nose raised

Eko is a reliable sun dial.  He follows the path of the sun throughout the day and in the late afternoon moves to the front window to catch the last light of the day

The past few days here in Chicago have been hot and sunny with some humidity.  The dog park, normally a lively urban jungle, has been quieted by the sudden heat wave.  For dogs and human alike, it seems that the name of the game is "hide in the shade."

Too hot for this little guy

While the rest of us sought shelter from the sun, Eko carefully picked out the biggest patch of sunlight he could find and then happily flopped down to sunbathe on the hot asphalt.

I swear Eko must be part reptile.  No matter how hot it is, he loves laying in the sun

Eko stretched out to maximize his solar accumulation 

At this point, I have to conclude that Eko is a solar panel.  I guess that's where he gets all his energy from!  Now I just need scientists to figure out away to get that energy to run my car.  Get on that one for me, science.

Anyone else have a solar powered pet?

"Little old me cause trouble? Never..."

We all know that pets are great for our metaphorical hearts - dogs are loyal and loving to a fault - I mean, even the Grinch had a faithful pup.  But despite all the momentary cardiac crises listed above it turns out that pets can help contribute to the health of our actual heart.

One out of one Dr. Eko's agree that pets promote a healthy heart

According to a new statement from the American Heart Association, observational evidence suggests that people with dogs likely have a reduced risk of heart disease.  Dogs help people exercise more and a number of studies show that pets in general help people better cope with stress through a reduction in heart rate and blood pressure.  In my favorite study, one group of stockbrokers with hypertension were instructed to adopt a dog or cat.  The stockbrokers with pets were found to react better to stress than the group of stockbrokers with hypertension who did not have a pet.  I just love the image of tough big shot bankers melting in the arms of a pet.

Relaxing in front of a fire with Eko is about as stress free as you can get

As one of the doctors rightly cautions, a pet is by no means a panacea for heart risk and you should never get a pet unless your primary objective is to provide that pet a great home.  But if you do have a pet, "there are plausible psychological, sociological and physiological reasons to believe that pet ownership might actually have a causal role in decreasing cardiovascular risk.”

So next time your pet "nearly gives you a heart attack" remember that overall they are probably doing their part to keep your heart healthy!

For some strange reason, curiosity has a bad rap in the animal kingdom - especially when it comes to felines.  In my opinion, it is our pets' curiosity which makes them, and the our day-to-day world, so interesting.

Every morning Eko wakes me up with a wet kiss and furiously wagging tail.  We have the same morning routine every day but he doesn't care - the world is an interesting place and he wants to see it!  Is the world the same as yesterday?  The only way to find out is to check it out.  I love that Eko's eager curiosity extends to even the most mundane tasks - like opening the freezer.

"Anything in the freezer for me this time!?"

I also appreciate Eko's curiosity in matters he completely does not understand.  When I work out at home Eko will lay on my mat - not because it's comfortable, but just because he knows I'm doing something with it.  He figures it must be something good.  I eventually had to break down and get Eko his own mat.

Eko's attitude seems to be "Why are we doing this?  Who cares, I'm in!"

"Still not sure what we're doing here Will, but I'm sticking around to see if it will get good"

Eko's curiosity also reminds me that I get to define the world as much as it gets to define me.

Everything is a dog toy if you use some imagination

Of course, curiosity also is a great way to learn more about your friends

And curiosity helps you discover whether something is dog agility equipment or public art.  Sometimes it is both

Sure, we all have a daily routine, but just because it is the same doesn't mean that it has to be boring. I don't plan on giving up my morning grumblings any time soon, but I will do my best to approach each day with Eko's enthusiasm and curiosity.  It is guaranteed to make life more fun and enjoyable.  Tomorrow is never guaranteed, so I appreciate our pets reminding us to cherish today, no matter how ordinary it may seem.

It's no secret that a tired dog is a happy dog but tiring out your pup isn't always as straightforward as it might seem.  Sure, you can go to the dog park but sometimes there aren't any other dogs to play with.  Or maybe some days your dog is more interested in sniffing around then romping.  Simply put, there is no guarantee that a trip to the park will tire your dog out.  Unless you know that Eko is there, that is.

Ever since he was a puppy Eko has had a talent for riling up other dogs to play.  I can't count how many times I hear someone say, "I haven't seen my dog run like that in years!" or "she never usually plays chase, this is great!"  This morning at the beach was a classic example - there were a few dogs leisurely playing but Eko had them whipped into a full blown romp in no time.

With a few play bows and few yips and one blatant ball theft, Eko rounded up the posse

Eko then takes off, but he always looks back to make sure the chase is on

Catch him if you can

The pack in hot pursuit

For about twenty straight minutes Eko kept the dogs running at full speed

At one point Eko was running so fast and his ears flapping so hard that I thought he might fly away.  In fact...

We have liftoff!  The world's first flying dog! (Ok, maybe I doctored this photo juuust a bit)

While I consider myself a friendly person, I know that when I am frequently asked "When do you usually come to the beach?" it's not because people are looking for my company.  People are looking to tire out their pup and they know that a play date with Eko is 100% guaranteed to deliver.  We all love our pets the most, but I would wager that Eko's services make him plenty of people's second favorite!