I the vein of leaping, today's newsletter is about leaping dogs and cats- who CAN jump the highest..

But whether you have a dog or cat, you want them to have 'happy' joints- as in well lubricated, pain free joints.

One of the easiest ways to accomplish this is with my supplements, Ultimate Canine and Ultimate Feline, which you can get here:

In 1999, ESPN wanted to develop a dog sport for the Great Outdoor games, and that is how dock diving got its start

The object of extreme vertical is for the dog to knock down a bumper that dangles 8 feet from the dog at ever-increasing heights. 

Top dogs in this event include Yeager, a Belgian Malinois who holds the record at 8 feet, 4 inches; Brox, a Belgian Malinois, who has a personal best of 8 feet, 1 inch; and Country, a greyhound, who won a competition with a 7 feet, 10 inch jump in 2005.

Herding competitions, such as the Kelpie Muster held every year in Casterton, Australia, take place around the world. The object of the high jump competition at these events is to clear a wooden barrier. The barrier is raised throughout the competition

The top dog for the Kelpie Muster is a rescued kelpie named Riley. He jumped a record-breaking 9 1/2 feet at the 2007 competition. A brother and sister pair of border collies were nipping at his heels to take the record in 2009. Zoro jumped 9 feet, 4 inches, and his sister Girl jumped 9 feet, 3 inches in a high jump event in Singleton, New South Wales, Australia.

Cats definitely rule in jumping exercises when compared with dogs — or humans.

The average dog can only jump about one body length high, with breed and size (and personal skill) determining exactly how high he can jump. 

Humans aren’t even that good at jumping — we can only jump straight up in the air a little over one and a half feet on average.

So how high can a cat jump on average? 

According to Animal Planet, cats owe their unique jumping talents to their strong leg and back muscles. Also contributing to their acrobatic finesse is their good calculating skills.

First, a cat will push off with great strength, testing the sturdiness of the take-off point with his hind legs. 

Next, he sizes up the distance from point A to point B and figures out how much hind leg force is needed to make a successful plunge.

Cats usually land on their front paws and pull their hind legs in. Their flexible shoulders, along with their solid feet, ankles, and wrists absorb the brunt of the landing. 

Their padded paws serve as mini shock absorbers.

But when we look at height of the jump vs body size, cats RULE

So they are BOTH winners...I sound like such a Liberal :-)

Regardless have a Happy Leap Year Day and share your profound new knowledge with a spouse/co-worker/friend