Waiting by the Gate (Talking With Cats)

9.4 km - 61.04 min, 10,004 steps. 
Beautiful early Summer weather, cool breeze, dappled sunlight on the road.

When we go for a walk cats often follow and run around with the dogs. Sometimes Masha, the black-and-white female, gets tired and I cary her in my arms. Sometimes Vassika, the tabby male, falls behind and we have to wait for him. What's different about cats is that they talk all the time to you, while dogs have to be talked to.

When we go for a run, it's Vassika who follows us, but as we get into stride he stops and goes back. Often, like today, he sits or lies by the gate waiting for us to return and then meows in greeting – welcome home.

Don't know if it's affection or hope for joining in getting an after-run treat together with the dogs. But I can't help giving him one.

The Russian Barking Brigade

 60.32 min - 9.6 km - 10269 steps - cool, quiet.
You may also want to read 'Cats love dogs'

BBC's Steven Rosenberg reports today from Moscow on the spetznaz dogs trained by the Russian army to sniff out bombs and check out other dangerous places. The new generation A-team dogs are equipped with cell phones and video cameras attached to their heads periscope-style. The handler communicates with the dog via the walkie-talkie. The dog comes back after finding the bomb and bomb disposal experts can deal with it from a safe distance. 'Our dogs can reach places we simply can't,' says one handler. 'As they say, a dog is a man's best friend'.

Which is just as well, still dangerous for animals but a big step from training dogs to blow up enemy tanks by running up and crawling underneath with a mine attached to their backs. That's what the Red Army tried to do during the second world war. It was mostly unsuccessful, because dogs sometimes ran back and crawled under the Red Army's own tanks.

Whoever came up with the new scheme may have been inspired by the Cats and Dogs film where canine and felines fight for control of the humans: