DISTANCE: 8.06 km  DURATION: 1:20:23

Today was my last run with Roxy & Buddy as they are moving to a new province. I decided to make the most of our goodbye and planned a new 8km route.  With the consent of their owners, we took our time.  The weather was gorgeous today so we ran on the grass; even though the path was clear of snow and ice.  This was both a novelty and a delight. Buddy enjoyed scratching up leaves, while Roxy rolled happily around. In Fish Creek Park, we headed along a river track.  Being somewhat shaded, it still had a lot of unmelted snow on it. I'm totally over the snow, but the dogs still enjoyed it, so we continued on. There were many other dogs out being walked; the majority of which Roxy enjoyed a good bark at. It was lovely to hear the birds and the woodpeckers hammering.  Roxy enjoyed duck watching. Dog scoop: Roxy - 3 pees. Buddy - 3 poops, lots of pees.  Best of luck with your move and future. Thanks to Buddy and Roxy's lovely parents for letting me run and have so much fun with them. Cheers!

Runner: Cath

DISTANCE: 5.02 km  DURATION: 59:53

I was advised that Buddy's paw was a bit sore today so it was decided that it would be a day for a dog jog/walk, with lots of stops for sniffing. Roxy was raring to go and wagging her tail happily. Buddy was not his happy self. He didn't want to head down into Fish Creek Park today. I tried to coax him with treats, but he held his ground. The wind was a super chilly -25C and Buddy was whimpering, so we turned back. After 40 minutes I decided Buddy had had enough so I dropped him back home to his mom, and headed out with Roxy. She was happy to have a bit of a run by herself. It was tougher conditions today and it still feels like winter. Seeing Christmas decorations in the neighborhood only compounds this fact. Scoop: Buddy had 2 poops, 4 pees. Roxy had 3 pees.

Runner; Cath

DISTANCE: 6.50 km  DURATION: 1:00:20
  
Hello Buddy & Roxy.  It's Good Friday so why then does it feel like it's Christmas? Today was -10C degrees, with a -20C windchill, which we definitely experienced head on, but Buddy, Roxy & I still had fun braving the harsh elements that Calgary threw at us once again. Buddy & Roxy are small dogs with huge personalities. Buddy will do his business, and whilst I'm trying to clean up his poop, he doesn't want anything to do with it, so he will try and pull me away in the opposite direction. Roxy now is happy to stop and roll in the snow and run up and down the snow piles. Roxy was enjoying the deep snow so I took them cross-country exploring some new trails. We made our way down into Fish Creek Park, the wind dropped, the feather-like snow fell, and I felt like we were in a snow globe. It was beautiful. Sadly, it didn't last for long, the nasty wind picked up and we headed back into a headwind with blowing snow.  Variety is the spice of life! Scoop: Buddy had 4 poops, 4 pees. Roxy had 3 pees.

​Runner: Cath

DISTANCE: 8.02 km  DURATION: 1:13:32

"Happy National Puppy Day" Buddy & Roxy. My daughter taught me that if you say "hello puppy" to a dog, irrespective of it's age, most often it will look at you extremely happy. This worked with Buddy & Roxy, as they were both in very happy moods today. They were also looking very snazzy, with their new haircuts, ready for spring. It had snowed AGAIN last night, making it a bit chilly, so I found Buddy's jacket and put it on him, before we left. The fresh snow actually made for beautiful conditions.The ice was covered and we were able to run our normal route. We did a lot of running, but also a lot of stopping to remove the sticky snow from paws. Roxy enjoyed rolling in the fresh snow as well, but maybe because her new haircut was itchy? Scoop: Buddy had 2 poops, so many pees,. Roxy had 3 pees.

Runner: Cath

DISTANCE: 5.83 km  DURATION: 1:00;37

I was having a disorganized day today. My husband had to take an urgent conference call, so he was unable to drop our kids to school, thus I was late to run Buddy & Roxy this morning. Lucky, we have such lovely and understanding owners. After feeling disorganized, Buddy & Roxy were super easy to get ready. Thanks guys! In no time, we were out the door ready to run, except one thing...there was so much snow!! The usual route of the ridge was so deep in snow that I was worried about losing the dogs. We doubled back through the residential streets, which were hit & miss, and made it down 146 Ave SE which had been plowed. We were able to head to Fish Creek Park that way, and came across a Bobcat (not the usual one Audra has been so lucky to see) clearing the sidewalk. From there on, it was smooth, but Buddy was slipping, so we walked most of the way. The hoar frost and fog made for amazing conditions. It was gorgeous out and sunny.  The Scoop: Buddy had 1 poop, 6 pees. Roxy had 3 pees.

Runner: Cath

DISTANCE: 8.04 km  DURATION: 1:00:56

All was quiet at Buddy & Roxy's house when I arrived this morning. The door was locked and there was no hello barking. I knocked, rang the bell and waited. Oh no, I must have the wrong day...or dogs? I was about to make a phone call to Ruth, when I heard some movement. Buddy & Roxy's dad opened the door, apologizing, as he had forgotten I was coming. I felt terrible for waking him up, but together we got Buddy & Roxy organized. Buddy was sniffing and peeing and very excited. Roxy is usually in charge, but she was unfazed about anything today and happy to stay next to my side for most of the run. She was adorable. Buddy was happy to lead the way, extremely energetic and eager to run. Some days he needs a gentle persuasion to get moving, especially if he is engrossed with a scent, but there was no coaxing needed at all. Some of our usual route was unplowed, but we managed to still have a great run and of course, fun. Buddy: 2 poops, lots of pees. Roxy: 1 poop,3 pees.

Runner: Cath

DISTANCE: 8.05 km  DURATION: 1:04:17

It is 7:30 a.m. and it's daylight; what a pleasant surprise! However, it was also -16C with a windchill that slapped me in the face as soon as we starting running. Roxy and I were eager to run to get warmed up, but Buddy had managed to pull us to an abrupt stop five times to "fire his ammunition" (as his mom calls it) before we even got to the first corner. After 10 times, I stopped counting his pees. I thought it may be a slow dog jog today, but once we made our way down into Fish Creek Park the pace picked up. We ran in an easterly direction, with the wind at our backs and the sun rising and  shining on our faces. I was thinking of others heading to work, maybe stuck in traffic, and here I was with one of the best jobs; just time spent running with two fun dogs. I have a lot of jealous friends. The paths were plowed well today so I didn't need to worry about stopping to remove snowballs from paws. Buddy & Roxy seemed very happy with their effort today, as was I. Scoop: Buddy had 1 poop & numerous pees, Roxy had 3 pees.

Runner: Cath

DISTANCE: 7.73 km  DURATION: 1:05:20

What a magnificent morning. It was -4C and there was a sundog in the sky. That surely had to be a good omen, and it was. Roxy & Buddy both gave me a quick hello bark and then proceeded to the front door. It was fantastic that they were excited for their run and therefore I had no trouble quickly putting on their harnesses. I was so proud of them. I decided to try a new route today, but whoever plowed the road must have pushed all the snow onto the sidewalk. After a slow single file walk down the hill, we had a great time. It was busy in Fish Creek Park today which made for a more interesting run. There were many people walking dogs and we also got to watch an eagle soar above us which was very exciting. Scoop: Buddy - 3 poops & 4 pees, Roxy - 1 poop & 2 pees.

Runner: Cath

DISTANCE: 8.04 km  DURATION: 1:11:05

​At our usual run time of 7:30am, this morning it was -26C with -32C windchill, and that would not have been much fun. I've run in -37C, but not ideal conditions for two little dogs. So we rescheduled to 3pm - blue sky, sunny & a balmy -12C. Leaving the house, a lady walking past yelled out at us something about the dogs. Seriously!! I wanted to yell back "Chill-out lady, it's a beautiful sunny afternoon, the snowstorm has stopped, and it's the weekend. However, as we ran off I just smiled. LOL. I was amazed how much snow had accumulated and how much snow had yellow patches on them. Buddy absolutely loved adding his mark. We headed down into Fish Creek on an unplowed path, but then ran on beautifully plowed ones. We took lots of stops to clear paws and the three of us enjoyed our fun time together. The Scoop:  Buddy had 2 poops, numerous pees. Roxy had 3 pees, 1 poop.

Runner: Cath

DISTANCE: 6.61 km  DURATION: 53:45

I was looking forward to my early morning run with Buddy and Roxy, I always feel that my best runs are early. Today was very quiet on the trails and it was very crisp this morning. Buddy has a hard time getting going, I think maybe his tummy was upset, because he had three poops today. We didn’t do bad considering the weather. One point in our run, Buddy sat down as if to say, "Just to let you know! I AM DONE!" It is very cold when you stop Mr. Buddy! I think he wanted me to slide him down the path. Ummm, that isn’t the best idea. He got over whatever was going on and we were off. I realized today how well B and R run together, they never get in each other’s way, and never try to trip me. That is a BONUS in dog running. Thanks for the great morning! Buddy had 3 poops, 15 pees. Roxy had 1 poop, 7 pees.

Runner: Audra

DISTANCE: 7.49 km  DURATION: 1:02:16

I was greeted by Roxy & Buddy's dad today and advised that Roxy wasn't her happy self as she has not been 100% the past few days. We left Roxy & Buddy's house starting out walking, then we jogged and then we ran, taking lots of breaks to ensure Roxy was OK. It was -10C and dark when we started out, but the pink sunrise soon appeared and both dogs' enthusiasm improved. Buddy was very happy today, although he wanted to mark his territory more so than usual. We went down into Fish Creek Park and the silence and stillness this morning was amazing, the only sound being the cracking of ice under our feet. Roxy loves it down in the park and she got her usual burst of energy, but they became cautious seeing another runner. The dogs decided to race each other up Annie's Hill and I was the slow one behind them. A few more walkers & dogs were beginning to appear and Roxy & Buddy were very disciplined and well behaved, not barking or caring at all. Get well Roxy! Dog business: Roxy had 2 pees, Buddy had 1 poop and 10+ pees.
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Runner: Cath

DISTANCE: 7.04 km  DURATION: 50:02

Speed is the game today; these two were on a mission! First off, I would like to apologize for my pictures, as they didn’t really turn out this morning. I put together a photo grid of my favourite B and R pics to make up for it. We took a different route, this morning to Strides and back.  We headed out on a dark trail, that was all to ourselves, and we ran. There were very few stops this morning as the doggers were on a mission. It was a bit of a process getting everyone organized for the run. Buddy was ready to go, and Roxy was missing. I waited and then I shook the food but no luck Roxy wasn’t coming. I had no choice I had to hunt the dog down! I thought to myself, I hope nobody is sleeping back here while I was hunting Roxy down! Success! I gave myself a tour of the house and found Roxy! It always makes me nervous dog hunting, I don’t want to scare any dog owners.  All in all, this was a great run, and I believe this was Buddy and Roxy's fastest run! Next time we are aiming for the 9km mark! Here's to 2018, guys! Buddy 5 pees, 1 poop.  Roxy: 0 poops, 3 pees.

Runner: Audra

DISTANCE: 6.65 km  DURATION: 1:07:14

Oh, how I love it when you get to a house to be greeted by a dog happily barking and tail wagging. This was Roxy who was .raring to go this morning. Buddy; not so much. He was standing back more reserved (a male that knows his place maybe? lol). It was a -20C morning and we headed off, lucky enough to encounter mostly cleared sidewalks through the neighborhood. Once on the ridge, it was time to get a bit speedy & energetic to warm up our bones. Buddy & Roxy were looking so adorable, with their well groomed fuller winter fur, which they definitely needed this morning, because once we dropped down into Fish Creek Park it felt like the temperature also dropped at least 5 degrees. My nose started running  and my eyelashes started to freeze over. We ran along the cleared pathway near the Visitor's Center, which gave both dogs an opportunity to clear their paws of snow, then headed over the bridge. After a quick photo opportunity, Buddy turned around to head back. I didn't disagree at all. Heading up the hill,  chickadees were singing and flying from tree to tree and Buddy & Roxy seemed to really enjoy this as much as I did. Up the ridge, the sun came out and the pace increased with both dogs happy to bound along. It may have been cold, but it sure was a glorious way to start the day.  Dog business: Buddy - 3 poops & 3 pees.  Roxy - 2 poops & 2 pees.

Runner: Cath

DISTANCE: 5.45 km.  DURATION: 1:01:40

​Happy New Year you two! Let's go bounce through some snowbanks bigger than either of you!  It was reasonably cold, but the sky was clear and magnificent today. After passing another dog walker (med-large, unsure of breed), we got a thumbs up for the trail and headed into Fish Creek Park, one scrunchy step at a time.  I'm not sure if it was because of the "lane" through the snow, even length leashes, or something else... But these two were actually running harder than I've ever seen from this lot. Not endlessly. of course, but definitely on the regular.  Scoop Score:  Buddy had #1 x7, #2 x2 and Roxy had #1 x1 and no #2.
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Runner: Michael

DISTANCE: 4.74 km  DURATION: 1:03:12

Roxy & Buddy, it's good to see you two again. The snow outside is about as high as you guys, but I'll make sure you get home safe and happy to be back inside. We didn't get going too fast with having to navigate the chaotic variable terrain of today's snow. There was a fair amount of shovelled sidewalks, and much of the pathway overlooking Fish Creek was already cleared. See you two again soon (snow is optional). Scoop Score: Roxy #1 x1 and #2 x1, Buddy #1 x10 and #2 x1.
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Runner: Michael