Dog Gone Running has gone to the cats!  This weekend I had the opportunity to check in on DGR Dog Mowgli's feline siblings.  I brought along my 14 year old son Eli who has been getting me to get a cat again. Sayid, the black cat, was a bit shy at first but once wet food was out and a hand stretched out to give head, rubs, he was pretty excited.   Paulie, the black and white cat, got into most of the photos as this kitty was quite the character with the tail wagging and whiskers brushing up against the railing and dog food bag.   I bet these two are enjoying ruling the house while there canine siblings are away.   Thanks for the purr-fect way to chill on a lazy Saturday.  The scoop: we did clean out the litter box so they have a fresh start!  Cheers!

DISTANCE: 8.79 km. DURATION: 1:36:51

I can’t get enough of Mowgli this week! I biked down to his house to avoid all the crazy traffic we ran into yesterday, so we ran near his neighbourhood. We went for many breaks in the river and lots of sniffs, I think he tried to impress me by finding the biggest sticks and insisting on carrying them along. But we did a good distance! We found a fort and Mowgli went in for a swim all on his own (in a slow moving pond)!! We saw many people out and about and got some time off-leash too ! I love spending time with this guy. Hope I get to see you soon Mowgli! Two poops and many pees.
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Runner: Tara

DISTANCE: 3.70 km  DURATION: 1:14:23

​Beach dog party at River Park today! Mowgli, Luna and I had a trek of a time getting there with traffic and getting stuck behind a train, but once we did the two pups didn’t stop running in and out of the water. I think Mowgli greeted every person at the park. By the time we were done, the dogs were pooped and almost dry, so we headed home. Mowgli sat shotgun and Luna in the back and we jammed to tunes and got some funny looks. See you tomorrow kiddo. One poop, many pees.

Runner: Tara

DISTANCE: 5.2 km DURATION: 1 hour

Mowgli we meet again! On this sunny day we went on an adventure with my bud and his Golden Retriever Skoki. We walked along the river near the bird sanctuary. The dogs went back and forth in the river and after the ball. Skoki is a big swimmer but Mowgli is still just a wading type of dog. At a rocky beach spot we went in and helped Mowgli try some deeper water, he was getting the hang of it too! After that we drove back to Inglewood but this silly pup still had energy so we went down to check out the rapids at Harvey Passage. I think Mowgli was almost showing fatigue by the end of it! Note to runners: it is burr season and they are tough to get out of dog's hair. One poop and many pees.
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Runner: Tara

DISTANCE: 7.66 km  DURATION: 1:00:05

It was a pleasant surprise yesterday finding out that I’d be running Mowgli today! It’s been a while since I last saw this cute, energetic, little guy! I’m not sure if he remembered me, but he was friendly and excited to see me nonetheless! I had to turn my back and get him to sit in order to keep him from jumping up. Mowgli has some sharp nails, and even though he is small, he is also strong and likes to push his nails into your leg. Not that he means any harm, he just loves to play! Time to get some of this energy out! He wanted to play for the first few minutes as we made our way to the Bow River path. I ignored him and told him "no" a couple times so he would stop chewing on the leash. Once we started jogging consistently he stopped and focused on the task at hand. Mowgli has a really strong sense of smell. At one point, he stopped me and was trying to pull me off the path into the snow. I soon realized what had caught his nose: a fresh looking, untouched sandwich 10 feet away! Sorry buddy, not for you! He lunged at the first jogger we passed, but I reacted quickly and caught him. From then on, I made sure to keep him beside me on a short leash while we passed others. He did really well for the rest of the run! That long hair of Mowgli’s picked up plenty of wet slush during our run so we spent some time getting him as dry as possible. Hope to see you again soon Mowgli! The scoop: 3 pees, 1 poo.

​Runner: Nathan

DISTANCE: 7.87 km  DURATION: 57:56

Guess what I got to do on this frosty Friday? I had the pleasure of running an Icelandic Sheepdog! And like the lands Mowgli's ancestors hail from, it was a another cold one today in Calgary. But like his ancestors, Mowgli has no problems with icy weather. Another trait I think Mowgli has inherited is his instinct to herd things. But with no sheep close by on our urban run, the most common thing that was everywhere we turned, was traffic! We found ourselves along a couple different busy streets, and this little guy would pick up the pace alongside zooming cars, barking and I think trying to corral them somewhere! All the while, he was smiling and happy as can be! He does slow down for the following things, anything remotely edible, squirrels and birds, sticks, and a chance to say hello to a friendly face. One such face was Emma, a gorgeous 15-year old Lab. Mowgli couldn't help giving Emma a little kiss on the cheek. Such a fun run with this little guy! Scoop: one poop and three pees.

Runner: Tammy

DISTANCE: 8.35 km  DURATION: 1:17:23

So it seems with my limited finger mobility today that I could only get pictures of Mowgli with his head turned away from me. I was wearing the German insulated gloves my mom brought back from her trip and my hands were still freezing, good luck to everyone else out there today, it's chilly. Because of the cold weather (and Mowgli's belly was getting a little wet from all the snow dives he had been doing) we looped around to warm him (and me!) up before we went out again. This was a little shorter than what Mowgli was used to, but we found plenty of sticks and enjoyed some low impact/high resistance training. How so you might ask, well low impact because we were going through these huge piles of snow and high resistance because I was none too eager to follow after Mowgli (forgive the running jargon). Other than that, this was the first time I've run Mowgli and he is one cute pup.  He didn't even bark that much at all because everyone was off the streets and there were only a few squirrels running about. Overall, such a lovely boy, sorry we had to meet on a day like today.'  Scoop: 1 poop, 4 or so pees

​Runner: Sarah

DISTANCE: :6.59 km. DURATION: 1:05:34

Oh, what joyous times, the Three Dogateers have a new recruit today! The Leader with the Leashes has a new ward for the day, so Rambunctious Mowgli became a Dogateer-in-training. Noble Quinn led the pack this fine afternoon, with Mischievous Rosie close by her side. Handsome Jack is still on probation but was allowed a couple reprieves for good behaviour; and what fun the Three Dogateers had showing their new rookie the ropes! Mowgli was most exuberant about his training, and was not shy about letting the others know how excited he was by chasing and jumping. Quinn was most patient, as Mowgli took quite a shine to her and wanted to chase her all over the territory of Nose Hill! The Three Dogateers put their new recruit through the paces along their usual trail, while maintaining perfect formation! Then it was back to the watering hole for a job well done and celebrating new friends. Stay tuned for the next grand adventure of the Three Dogateers! Many pees and one poop for Quinn today.
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Runner: Janine

DISTANCE: 8 km  DURATION: 57:00

Hi Mowgli, I have a wonderful surprise for a social dog like you.  Meet my dog Teddy.  Mowgli reacted with a few barks but then was pleased as punch to run with him.  I tried to capture the love fest as Mowgli kept kissing Teddy as they ran together.  Mowgli had some energy to burn and although he is smaller than Teddy, he led the way.  Mowgli would also get some power boosters around squirrels  and we saw our fair share by River Cafe.  Teddy is also a fan or squirrels so I did my best to keep order and brace my core. Mowgli also is a big fan of bicycles so she had to give a few barks to say "hi."  We did an out and back run along the Bow River which was a good idea as my phone battery lost juice at the turn around point.  Close to home, a gentleman told me that we made really good time as he traveled a similar distance on his bike,  Well, I do have 2 athletes (Mowgli and Teddy) leading the way.  The scoop: 1 poo and 2 pees.  See you soon Mowgli!

Runner: Ruth

DISTANCE: 8.64 km  DURATION: 59:11

A last minute request is a bonus for me as I get to see the sweetest Mr. Mowgli! He wasn't even a year old when I saw him last, so I wasn't sure if all that cuteness was just his puppy-ness or just him. It's just him, that's the way he is. We zoomed off happily, stopping for the odd sniff, or to bark at a bird or squirrel. Well he barked, I actually tried to shush him as he gets so excited about these encounters. But when we came across another dog in its yard, he didn't bark at all. It could be that he was trying to figure out the breed. That's certainly what I was doing. He was the most intriguing looking dog, that looked part Lab, part Shepherd, part Racoon, and maybe a bit of hyena? In any case, the new friend so wanted to join us and we felt bad leaving him behind. Onwards on our run, until we made it safely back home. I forgot to press pause on the book-on-tape that Mowgli was listening to (Harry Potter!! Good taste Mowgli!) I'll fill you in on the parts you missed next time I see you! Scoop: one of each.

Runner: Tammy

DISTANCE: 10.05 km  DURATION: 1:11:00

Today’s run with Mowgli was an interesting one. We started our run going through the neighbourhood with tons of distractions. At one point there was a small branch coming out of a bush and as we ran by Mowgli jumped right up and grabbed the branch in his mouth. I think he really liked that branch considering he didn’t drop it until we got onto the pathway. It was great seeing so many other runners and walkers out, but I actually don’t think I saw a single person running with a dog. Mowgli showed tons of energy, and to be completely honest I thought we’d run a little faster at the start to tire him out. That didn’t work out so well .. consistent energy the whole way through. The last two kilometres we were quite slow as I was having lots of pain in my foot. Once I stopped to re-tie my shoe, Mowgli jumped right on my back, telling me to get going. Overall,  I enjoyed my two runs with him, and I hope to see him in the future. The scoop: 3 pees and 1 poo!

Runner: Owen

DISTANCE: 6.75 km  DURATION: 50:13

This was my second run of the day so I was a bit tired, but the moment I walked through the door Mowgli was overflowing with excitement and instantly brought my energy up. I am a bit unfamiliar with the Inglewood area but we ended up finding ourselves on a quiet path along the river. Mowgli was a very consistent runner despite the few times he got a bit sidetracked by birds, squirrels or a good looking stick. We also got quite lucky in terms of weather as it started raining only 5-10 minutes before calling it a day. I am looking forward to running with Mowgli tomorrow as I have found a better planned route. The scoop: one poo and 3 pees
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​Runner: Owen

DISTANCE: 8.67 km  DURATION: 1:05:16

 After reading the intake form for Mowgli, I expected to be greeted with a barrage of barks while entering his home for the first time. I didn’t hear any barking as I unlocked the door, opened it a peep, and immediately saw Mowgli’s little head poke around the corner with an excited look. I slipped through the door trying to keep him inside as he jumped up and tried to grab onto me. Once inside, I got him to keep from jumping up and he behaved.  It was obvious this little ball of energy needed a release. Good thing I showed up when I did! We took off down to the path by the river. He did his best to drag me most of the way there. It’s a good thing he is light or I’d have been in trouble! I did my best to keep him close and to make him stop, and sit before moving on whenever he tried taking off after a squirrel, which was quite often,  Squirrels are everywhere right now stocking up for winter! Mowgli wants to chase everything, but that’s expected, it’s what he is meant to do! I’m sure with some time he will settle down and learn when to save his energy for the off-leash park or a good game of fetch! I was proud of him though because I don’t think he barked the entire run, except for a small growl as we passed a dog which I corrected immediately and he refocused. He broke the no barking streak though as I went to leave after the run. He wasn’t impressed and wanted to keep going, and barked at me until I was on my bike riding away. It was nice meeting you Mowgli, and I hope to see you again soon The scoop: 3 pees, 1 poo.

Runner: Nathan

DISTANCE: 5.91 km  DURATION: 1:00:42

Hello Miss Quinn, it's been so long since I've had a run with you! I've brought a friend along, sorry, not Jack and Rosie this time; it's Mowgli! I'm doing a little pet sitting for Mowgli, so he's going to join us on our run. After the initial sniffing and circling, both Quinn and Mowgli seemed to be quite content with this arrangement. Quinn may have regretted her initial consent, though, just a couple times, like when Mowgli kept jumping up on her while we ran because he really, really wanted to play! And, maybe once she let a little huff of discontent out when we had to keep slowing down and stopping because Mowgli isn't quite as experienced a runner yet 😂 But, over all, a very successful run with these two, and we managed to make it back just as the day was starting to heat up! Thanks for the perfect start to a long weekend Quinn! About five pees and one poop for Quinn.

​Runner: Janine

Dear mom and dad,

I am having a great time at Camp DGR! The other dogs in my cabin are so cool, we have a blast chasing each other around the yard and wrestling in the living room. I particularly like Jack, he's kinda this cool older dog, sometimes he acts a little grumpy, but I know he totally likes playing with me. Today, we went on a field trip to the dog park, and it was so awesome! We got to go swimming, and fight over sticks and chase each other through tall grass; there were so many other dogs that I got to meet too! Sometimes I would forget who I was suppose to be with 'cause I just wanted to hang with everyone. But, I always found my pack and was really good about running to catch up. I totally love running! Tomorrow, I get to go on a run, and I'm so excited!  Love, Mowgli

Pet Sitter: Janine