DISTANCE: 7.53 km  DURATION: 1:01:31

Hello Lincoln, good snowy frozen winter morning! The sky is quite dark today so we can't try and stay in the sunlight for a slight temperature boost. Fortunately, there isn't a lot of fresh snow yet, so ice freezing into Lincoln's paws isn't a concern. It was super quiet out going through some of the local neighborhood side roads, as if it were dramatically unpleasant outside.  Scoop Score:  #1 >10, #2 x1.  Take care until Friday Lincoln! I'll see you then.

Runner: Michael

DISTANCE: 4.45 km  DURATION: 46:37

Hello Buster Boy. You are getting so good at sitting to put on your collar and lead (unless I take too long) and then you get impatient. Fair enough!! When we left for our walk, the snow had stopped but the weather had cooled to -19 (-26 windchill). I decided it was time to explore the neighborhood in the other direction.  However this took us along many icy pathways. It was cold, so not many people were out today, but Buster was still happy criss-crossing in every direction looking for something to chase. Buster would leap off the path into the deep snow, bounding to get out. This made me laugh. In Fish Creek Park, we stopped to watch a squirrel climb a tree. I took off my gloves to take a few photos and pick up after Buster's poop, but must have had them off for too long. Oh, my fingers were frozen and in pain. Buster decided to do another poop, he was shaking as that wind was cold. It can't always be fun for a dog either. Happy weekend Buster. I need a hot shower & hot chocolate. Business: 1 pee, 2 poops.

Runner: Cath

DISTANCE: 7.81 km  DURATION: 55:53
 
I don't always love surprises but a last minute surprise run with Onyx was pretty wonderful.  This is definitely the good kind of surprise.  When I picked her up, she was not in her usual spot and I found her sleeping on the bed.  Boy, was it tempting to have a mid-day nap with her but I knew she would be happy to get out for some fresh air.  We had a few more surprises.  We ran into DGR Runner Tara and Golden Retriever Kaylee.  I think we were both thinking a run along the river would be nice but a train came to a dead stop in front of the pathway entrance.  Surprise, I guess we are going to take another route.  I took her up through Sunalta School, over several bridges and back down to the river pathway.  Tara and Kaylee took a different route but surprise we saw them once again. This was my first run of 2018 with Onyx and she did brilliantly.  Her pace was steady and we made several stops  (3 poos and 4 pees).  Onyx was my second run of the day and I have one more to go tonight.  I bet you will never guess what I am wearing?  Surprise, it is a onesie pajama for the Ale Run. Thanks again for the joyful outing Onyx.

Runner: Ruth

DISTANCE: 5.95 km  DURATION: 57:59

Today’s run was a cold one but there’s no better way to warm up than with some off-leash action (or maybe a coffee). Kenny stayed warm by following me while I was running but Sully stayed moving by running circles around us and playing a little fetch with me. Sully, once again, was on the hunt for some big branches to walk around with. At one point, we came across a tree that had fallen down and he tried dragging it along but it was too heavy; very ambitious though. At another point, Sully had found a stick about the length of his body but I traded that for a treat because he was hitting poor Kenny with it so much. Looking forward to seeing these guys again! The scoop: one poo for Kenny and many pees for both.

Walker: Owen

DISTANCE: 7 km  DURATION: 1 hour

Hey Freckles, how are you girl?! I know, it’s freezing outside. Let’s see how we do today! Your mom said you don’t like this weather, so let’s get your jacket on and stay as warm as possible. Freckles and I did surprisingly well today. Mind you, we had to deal with a few challenges. The windchill was quite cold and the snow on top of ice is a dangerous/hilarious combo. Freckles and I did everything we could possibly do not to end up on our 🍑🍑... While she did very well, I wasn’t so lucky. (That must have been pretty funny to watch). I slipped and descended right on my butt. Being such an awesome BFF, Freckles came to my rescue right away giving me kisses and hugs. (Such a sweet girl!) Thank you for a challenging run! See you soon! The scoop: 1 poop, 5 pees. 

Runner: Nadiya

DISTANCE: 2.74 km  DURATION: 35:55

Good morning Monkeys! I have been dreading this day for a couple weeks now because the cold weather is back again! I made sure to put on my « super-motivation » boots today, in hopes that I could persuade both Vizslas out on today’s run. Turns out our run, turned into more of a walk with a few moments of jogging. Honestly, I was just happy to have gotten Gibbs out of the house as she was a bit hesitant when we had left the front door. Yesterday, as I browsed through a dog blog online, I read about the famous ‘Vizsla point’, when a Vizsla lifts one of their paws up and holds it! I noticed both girls do that today, and will keep an eye out for it in the future (hopefully I can even capture a picture). The cold weather soon became too much for the girls' paws so we called it a short day today. Once we got into the warmth of their home, Gibbons, Toki and I spent the rest of our time together playing, snuggling and having a snack. See you Friday my favorite sisters! 1 poop and 3 pees for Gibbs, 4 pees for Toki.

Runner: Jaime

DISTANCE: 9.72 km  DURATION: 1:03:35

Today was a cold slap in the face for anyone that was starting to welcome Spring, but Kaylee didn’t care what the temperature was. Today, she is wearing pink. When I picked up Kaylee I will admit I was ready for hibernation, but when I saw her in a cute bandana and she loaded me with kisses.  my spirits were raised. She was ready for this run and for the first fifteen minutes we were full-on sprinting to the river. This was until we were stopped by a train. We waited while it trudged on, but then it stopped. Zero movement right in front of our path! We turned around and there was Ruth also on a dog run being held up by this train! We said quick hellos and then continued. I thought about taking the LRT pass over top but there were a lot of people so we just went to 14th Street. After all this swerving and turning we were finally on the river. We made it to the red bridge and looped back, Kaylee was still in full on gallop until we arrived back at the tracks. The train had moved on but we were pooped. We jogged slowly to the hill and walked up. Usually, I would just walk Kaylee back to her home but I looked at her and she looked at me and we decided we deserved a ride home with my mum's car.  I am so thankful Kaylee got me out today.  See you soon cutie!  The scoop: 1 poop, 4 pees.

Runner: Tara

DISTANCE: 2.80 km  DURATION: 52:36

My morning didn't quite go as planned today, but that was for the best as I got to walk Kacie and Pink one last time before I start school tomorrow. So in honour of my last official walk with the girls until I'm off school, (believe me I'll take any chance I get on long weekend to take these two out), I'm reminiscing about the most monumental moments with the girls and my favourite little quirks they have. Maybe the most memorable moment I had with the girls even though it wasn't that fond of one is when Kacie left me a little surprise on the front carpet one of the first times I walked her. Though cleaning it up wasn't fun, that day made me realize just how sweet Kacie really is by how guilty and apologetic she was, nuzzling me with her head as if saying "I'm so sorry I really am, my tummy just hurts so much". Another favourite Kacie thing of mine is that purring noise she makes when you scratch her head, and the way she'll nuzzle it into your chest. She is the sweetest.  Some of my best Pink memories are all the puppies who must have weighed at least double her 7lbs who Pink knocked right off their feet.  She may be small but she is mighty. Another one for Pink is the time I completely wiped out on the ice and she stopped, ran over to me and hopped on my lap, jumping up to lick my face to say "are you okay?". Pink's love may be a little more hard earned then Kacie's, but once you earn it, she'll just melt your heart. So thanks Kacie and Pink for all the fond memories.  Hopefully, I'll see you two soon! The scoop: 1 poo and lots of pees for Kacie, 3 pees for Pink.

Runner: Taylor

DISTANCE: 1.28 km  DURATION: 27:35

Since the temperature decided to drop almost 20 degrees last night, it would be a much shorter outing with Chester today. There’s no way his weebum would last an hour in this cold! Why not make the short time we spend together as exciting as possible? That’s what Chester always seems to want - more excitement! Whenever there is fresh snow on the ground, it brings out the young spirited side of Bexie (partly because the more she runs and plays, the warmer she stays). We spent the entire time chasing each other around the park through the deep snow. I’ve never seen the two dogs play this much... maybe they knew it would be a short visit! If Chester wasn’t leashed to me, there is no way Bexie would have caught him or got near enough to show him she is the boss. Because he is stuck close to me, she has the advantage, which turns out to be a good thing, because she can always get away when she needs a quick break instead of having to snap at Chester in order to let him know to back off. This way I can be the mediator of their game (usually egging them on to continue playing). See you again tomorrow Chester! The scoop: 3 pees, no poo.

Walker: Nathan

DISTANCE: 7.29 km  DURATION: 1:03:51

Happy Wednesday, Kaiser!! You're one happy boy to be out in this chilly weather! That makes one of us...just kidding, how can I not have fun running with you?  Off we went to join the rush hour of the Bow River pathway. At this time in the morning, we get to see all the poor people heading off to work for the day. I'd take running in -20C over sitting at a desk any day!! Wouldn't you Kai?! Kaiser was a very good boy today; he was extra good because I came prepared with some fantastic pumpkin treats (thanks, Ruth!!) Kaiser was obsessed! He could do no wrong and was going to do no wrong with those bad boys in my pocket. Unfortunately, the pocket stash came to an end as well as our run. Thanks for the fun! Until next time my friend!! The scoop: 1 poop, 7 pees.

Runner: Paige

DISTANCE: 2.73 km   DURATION: 1:00:16

Indy greeted Juno and me with some teeth-baring grins but no panda. Maybe he felt he didn’t need a stuffy friend when he would have not one, not two, but three friends (if you include me) to hang out with. So we went to Jasper’s and the four of us had a chill walk around the ‘hood. Chill because it was quite cold, and chill because we were taking it really slow today. Indy is nursing a sore leg, and what with Jasper’s history of knee issues, there was no need for speed today. Juno didn’t get it as she’s used to running with her DGR friends. So once off-leash she was literally jumping with joy right over Jasper. Indy was happy to watch from the sidelines, as was I. Once the J-team finished their jumping, we leashed back up and dropped Indy off. Jasper, Juno and I walked for another 20 minutes after I stopped RK so that he could get a little more exercise. We had a lovely time with these boys of Bel Aire. Scoop both boys peed but only Indy pooped.

Runner: Tammy

DISTANCE: 10.15 km  DURATION: 1:03:00

Although the temperature when I woke up was -17C and snowing, I could not help but smile when I knew I would soon be running Herbie for our first hour run together. Herbie was excited too as he started to talk to me ( see bottom photo) when I was getting ready to take him out.  We both just dressed appropriately with winter gear and headed to River Park.  It was pretty amazing because we had most of the pathway section down by Sandy Beach all to ourselves with only a Belgian Shepherd out enjoying the winter wonderland.  I love when there are light snowflakes falling and all we can hear are our breaths and maybe a tiny jingle of the dog tags and the crunch of snow under out feet/paws.  It was quite magical!  We kept quite warm though I think Herbie may have been a bit cold on his backside so when we got home, I thought some snuggles and pats were in order.  He reciprocated with a kiss or two.  Thanks for the great workout buddy. The scoop: lots and lots of pees but no poos.  Freezing weather is definitely not a deterrent when getting to run this gentle guy.  Thanks for the workout!

Runner: Ruth

DISTANCE: 8.79 km  DURATION: 1:08:15

Today is a big day that has opened up the airwaves and communication channels for Mental Health Awareness. Lucy, you are the best therapist ever. Early this morning I was at CJ 92 radio station to bring some 'Puppy Therapy' on the topic of "Let's Talk". I was really pumped to have my own personal session with the 'Happiest Therapist (Canine version)' I know. Lucy's little wiggle and those amazing brown eyes truly change your endorphins. I can see firsthand how complete strangers light up just getting a glimpse of this Special Girl coming close to them.  She does this without a word being spoken. Can you imagine the effect Lucy would have if she did speak!😊 Thanks for the 'Talk' Lucy. I've booked another session for Friday. PS. Let's hope we both don't have snow beards for that one, wink wink. The Doggy Business Report: 2 pees.

Runner: Michelle

DISTANCE: 7.73 km  DURATION: 1:07:13

Hello Kayto! I’m loving the huge hugs I’ve been getting lately from my friend😊. I had a feeling that today’s run was going to be more of a party than anything else😆. First, we had to find Kayto’s ball because he can’t leave home without it! Then he kept losing it in the house, under the couch, in a boot etc, etc.😂 He cracks me up! Our adventure started with a run/play to the pooch park. We played fetch for a minute, but then Kayto saw some potential ball thieves and that was the end of that. So, we made our way from one end to the other finding some sticks to add to Kayto’s collection. My friend and I hit the streets and picked up the pace until it was time to party again. One last stretch of free ranging for my friend and then home we went. Thanks for a very entertaining afternoon outing Kayto! You almost made me forget about this lovely weather (definite sarcasm) The scoop: 2 poos and numerous pees today. Cheers!

Runner: Tracy

DISTANCE: 8.38 km  DURATION: 1:03:25

Happy Hump Day M&M! Boy, they sure were happy today. Me on the other hand - when I woke up and saw what the temperature was outside, I rolled over and went back to sleep😬. Mira loves this fantastic weather and couldn’t contain her excitement! Which made me start smiling and the princess (me) got over it. Mira and I had a rather uneventful outing this morning; she even ignored all the free ranging pooches on the path. That a girl Mira! Well done! She makes me so proud sometimes😊. We did our usual Wednesday route without a hitch. There are always going to be a few stops along the way but my friend kept us moving for the most part.👍🏿 Thanks for a nice relaxing Wednesday run Mira! 1 poo and several pees for Mira; 1 poo and 1 really long pee for Mr. Mulligan today. Cheers!

Runner: Tracy