Shaun T. - one of the late night gurus of exercise DVDs - wants you to send him three monthly payments of $39.95 to take advantage of his Insanity Workouts.

Save your money. Get two Dalmatians that weigh in excess of 60 pounds each and go running with them.

You’ll get a cardio workout that puts group exercise classes to shame plus you’ll be able to build biceps without using weights. Then there is the added bonus of the thrill of spills when one of them happens to seea cat and other one doesn’t. To avoid that, you simply need to go at a pace where the Dalmatians can’t think about anything except running. Unfortunately that is at a pace at least twice as fast as I usually go. I can do it for about a half mile before I have to slow down to my usual jogging pace. Of course both Cruella and Dante have a happy go lucky look on their faces as if they had just taken a stroll in the park prepping for a leisurely run with Usain Bolt’s faster brother Insane.

Dalmatians are naturally built for long, steady runs and can typically go 30 miles.

Toss in two Dalmatians - one pure bred and the other with a tad of pit bull - and you has a slightly more energetic combo than your typical Dalmatian. Controlling them in running harnesses connected together can give you a feel for the experience of a suicide jockey hauling dynamite down the highway. You never know when they are going to explode and try to take off.

It is a full body workout even if you are going for a simple walk. Pulling back on their harness to keep them going at a walking pace gives your abs, legs and arms a workout and a half.

Personally, I think they’ve got the right attitude. A lot of people think they are hyper and too energetic.

But then again Dalmatians as a whole apparently have that rap.

When I dropped by a mobile rabies clinic Saturday, I left Cruella and Dante in the SUV like you’re supposed to and went and did the paper work, made the payment and stood in line for the veterinarian.

When she asked what breed the dogs were and I said they were both Dalmatians. Her answer was simply, “Good Lord, two Dalmatians.”

Cruella and Dante didn’t disappoint. They made their exit from the SUV as if they were racing to a fire.

To be honest, I don’t understand why everyone thinks they’re hyper. They seem quite normal for me. Sitting still for a long period of time isn’t their style. They’d rather run and burn off energy than do just about anything else except perhaps see if they get higher off the ground jumping than I do.

Folks such as Jeff Liotard of Mountain Mike’s Pizza fame who have seen me in exercise classes think I’m a wild man because I jump around so much.

Not true. That’s pedestrian stuff. When I’m in full play mode with Dante or Cruella is when I’m into serious jumping. And try as I may they can outlast me.

Don’t get me wrong. They’re not rambunctious. It’s just when it is time to exercise they want to go full throttle.

They live to enjoy a run and good workout yet don’t take themselves too seriously.

That’s why I love them.

For that plus the fact I finally have fairly solid biceps thanks to them.



This column is the opinion of executive editor, Dennis Wyatt, and does not necessarily represent the opinion of The Bulletin or Morris Newspaper Corp. of CA.  He can be contacted at dwyatt@mantecabulletin.com or 209-249-3519.