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By Jack Beresford
Senior Reporter
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A senior dog in California has hit upon a great way to get his steps in for the day.
Pedro, an 8-year-old golden retriever who lives with Will Whittle out in Imperial Valley, likes nothing more than to step onto his owner's treadmill with a soft toy in his mouth and burn off some calories.
The senior dog's efforts have been the talk of social media's sizable dog-loving community ever since Whittle's nephew, Eli McCann, tweeted out a clip of Pedro putting in the hard yards.
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McCann told Newsweek: "My uncle got him as a puppy and taught him to walk on the treadmill in about five minutes by turning it on the lowest speed and gently setting Pedro on it a few times until he figured out the pacing."
The U.S. Department of Agriculture recommends that dogs get at least 30 minutes of exercise per day. Pedro lives in Southern California, where temperatures can reach over 120 degrees in the summer, so having the treadmill offers an important exercise alternative.
"Pedro will go stand on the treadmill a couple times a day when he's ready for a walk," McCann said. "Sometimes Will will walk into the room and find him just standing there with a toy in his mouth, waiting. He'll walk for 20 or 30 minutes before climbing off for a nap."
Pedro has always been a strong-willed dog. McCann can still recall how, as a puppy, Pedro took to the task of going out and picking up the newspaper for Whittle. "If my uncle tried to get it himself, he would run out and slap his paw down onto the paper," he said.
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Unfortunately, the power eventually ended up going to Pedro's head. "Pedro started taking longer and longer to bring it in because he started taking more liberties like visiting neighbors so he was recently fired from newsboy duties," McCann said.
Pedro's walks on the treadmill hold another special significance to the senior golden retriever. "My sweet grandma lived with my uncle until November when she suddenly passed away at 93," McCann said. "She regularly walked on the treadmill to get her steps in and Pedro would climb onto it with her and walk side-by-side."
Even now, Pedro wakes up half expecting her to join him for another walk. He's not alone in missing her though. "I keep seeing Pedro poke his head through her bedroom door to look for her," McCann said. "It's heartbreaking, but I keep finding myself wanting to do the same thing."
Despite this, Pedro is still happy enough to go for regular strolls on the machine, which is probably just as well, too. "My uncle says Pedro loves food more than any dog he's ever met," McCann said. "So it's a very good thing he keeps up his treadmill habit."
Keep it up, Pedro.
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