One of the things that we were looking for in a dog when we were trying to figure out what type of dog we wanted last year was a running dog. Many people hearing this, suggested a larger dog, such as a Lab or a Rhodesian Ridgeback. Too big for us. We wanted a smaller dog. After a lot of research, we settled upon getting a Smooth Fox Terrier. In Sept, we went to a farm and got Bandit. Bandit’s almost a year old now. Based on her looks, we’re pretty sure that Bandit isn’t a Smooth Fox Terrier, but rather a Rat Terrier, or a Smooth Fox/Rat terrier mix. Not that it matters to us, we love Bandit and she’s the perfect little dog for us.
The last few weeks, Ben has been taking Bandit out for a run. We ran with Bandit a few times last fall and she liked it. We were careful to not go too fast with her because she was a little puppy, only a few months old. Even at that age, she was very fast and very competitive. She did not like it when one of us passed her. Now that she’s older, she’s gotten even faster!
Late March, Ben and Bandit ran a single loop of Prospect Park, which is 3.3 miles. They did it in under 25 mins. A few days ago,Bandit ran the same loop in under 23 minutes. She’s officially faster than me in a 5K. Ben said that Bandit could definitely run faster and wasn’t at all tired at the end of the loop. He’s really excited to see how much faster she could go. We already know that she’s an amazing sprinter (her top speed is dizzying).
When we go out for runs, Bandit hates it when one of us passes her. She barks like crazy and pulls on the leash and collar to go faster. Last weekend, Ben and Bandit were waiting for me about .1 mile from our stopping point. When Bandit realized that I ran past her, I could hear her yipping and crying hysterically until Ben and Bandit sprinted past me. It was only when Bandit was ahead of me that she calmed down. She gets her competitive nature from Ben.
Obviously a fast puppy like her deserves a finisher’s medal!
A Fast Paced Life 
Is that a love run medal?
It is!
What a little squirt!!! LOVE THAT BANDIT!!!! There is nothing, NOTHING like a dog. What a pup! 🙂
She is DA BEST !!!! We ‘re gonna enter a doggy race with her.
OH MY GAAAAAH SHE’S SO CUTE!!!!!!!!! That is so much fun that you can run with her. 🙂 One day I would love to get a dog to run with me (and I know Betty would love it too!)
She’s so fast. If you don’t go fast enough for her, she goofs off and weaves back and forth.
Bandit is the coolest dog. I love fast, small, competitive dogs! You have to find a race that she can run in with you guys!! Kobi has to be up front too. She hates being behind anyone. I thought maybe she was part sled dog for that reason, but she doesn’t have the sled dog build, just the sled dog brain. If we’re tied together and we’re running with other people, we’re at the front as she just drags me there. If we’re not tied together she’s up front on her own.
We think Bandit is the coolest too! We’re so happy that we have her. There isn’t a day when we don’t stare besottedly at her. There are a few dog races over the summer, so we’ll pick one or two and do them with her. She’ll have so much fun, especially now that she’s getting to be even more competitive. Ben took her out yesterday and she wanted to beat everyone who was out on the running path.
Maybe we’ll have Kobi and Bandit showdown one day. 😉