Being vaccinated still sucks. I still have to wear a mask everywhere, out of fear someone mistakes me for a Republican. My seasonal allergies have kicked in, and sneezing/dripping nose inside a mask is just poo poo. My new dog, Moxie, turns 1 year old on Friday, and is in heat for the first time. She's only been with me for a little over 1 week, so navigating owning a "giant breed" dog that needs a lot of exercise, who can't go to the dog park for the next 4 weeks, and my having "old man knees" that just can't walk at the pace her long legs need to go... well, these variables are incompatible. Where can I run a big dog, in an enclosed/fenced space, where she won't interact with other dogs while she's in heat? So I'm thinking about getting an e-bike. Maybe she can run with me then... but she'll need to learn how to run with a bike, which is a skill dogs need to learn... and she's highly distracted right now with all the surging hormones... and I don't want to run her over... Ah the joys of having a new dog and training/learning each other! She also needs to go in to the vet for her second round of shots, and a microchip. But can't do that while she's in heat... so waiting on that end, too. And we need to choose a vet, as well. Fortunately, she's a lovely spirit, a snuggler, and loves learning and training. She's going to be a great dog. I'm loving every single minute of it.
Ya gotta buy yourself "Kiss Me, I'm Vaccinated!" paraphernalia. Then you can sneeze wherever you want without judgement. :) For the dog, have you considered frisbee/catch for Moxie? My GF just got a pup of her own... tossing the frisbee is wonderful if I want to be 'lazy' about exercising the absolute unit of a dog. Helps that she's a golden retriever, so its an instinct to bring the toy back. For a Lab (hoping Moxie plays more in the Lab side of the gene pool), fetch needs a wee bit more training, but very do-able.
Moxie is an Anatolian Shepherd and Husky hybrid, so the fetch instinct is almost non-existent with this one! :-) But, I have found that a thrown toy becomes a pivot point in a game of tag. I'll throw the toy out there, and she will race to it, nose it, and then expect me to chase her. I then chase her around the yard, as she uses the toy as a touch point each lap. It's fun for a bit, and gets her in full "goofus mode", so it is a lot of fun. But it is more tiring for me, than for her. :-)
Oh boy, my childhood dog was a Husky/Shepherd mix. I swear he was scared of fetch. And walking wasn’t an option when playing. Made me wonder who was taking who out for a workout at times, LOL. Best we could do for him was take him to a large park or greenway. Hopefully finding a good vet comes easy (and soon).
I worry a lot about you riding with a pup. It's usually a lose lose for both parties. I had a friend who had a racing-rescue greyhound. The only way she felt like she could adequately exercise the pup was to take it to a local baseball diamond and have it run in huge circles. they're usuallyenclosed, so the pupper couldn't escape, and it meant lots and lots of running for the dog - and not for her. You'd have to be super conscientious about the shit though. No one want dogs shit around. I hear ya on the mask thing. Allergy season is weird... and every little cough or sneeze is making people around me nervous. Ugh.
She needs big active exercise. She needs to run. And I'm just not capable of that any more. If she could be trained to run with a bike (a big if, but not too hard to do) then she could stretch her legs out and tire herself out, as well. Would be good for both of us. And heck... an e-bike would be generally useful for me, as well.