The photos below paint the story of 2 Chocolate doggies (Teddy and Paisley) who love to play fetch and keep away with the ball.  It has been a blast having Paisley join my family this weekend.  Every morning we ran our 10K  to expend some energy so we could chill for a bit inside with some cuddle time.  Here are some of the new things I learned about Paisley: 1) she loves her doggy bed and wrestles with it; 2) she raises her paw in a paw shake when she is about to get a treat; and 3) she likes being around people and other dogs.  Last night we got together with Teddy's brother Keno and some friends and Paisley had a great time with all of the dog toys and busyness.  It sure has been a fun weekend and I can hardly believe it is almost over.  I hope Paisley joins us again soon.

Pet Sitter: Ruth

DISTANCE:  11.5 km  DURATION: 1:18:00

I feel like my weekend has already started because what could be more fun than running two Chocolate doggies?  Teddy and Paisley do so well together as they both enjoy running, squirrels and bunnies and playing fetch with the ball.  I received so many compliments on how good-looking my dogs were that my ego tripled in size.  We ran along the pathway past what I still call Lindsay Park and decided to get in at least a 10K.  My phone ran out of juice so I made a pretty good guesstimate of our time and distance.  I wish I had been able to take a photo of the hand-painted daisies someone made in their snow piles.  They were spectacular. I think we all have Spring Fever after this long winter.  Paisley and Teddy also got some fun off-leash games of chase with some other dogs at the top of River Park to end our outing.  One doggies pooped and there were too many pees to count. The great news is that I get to have Paisley visit for the next few days. You can never have too much chocolate is my motto!

Runner: Ruth

 DISTANCE: 10.18 km. DURATION: 1:17:18

Hello Paisley, I have been trying to make it work so I can be the lucky one to run you and today's the day. I am also bringing Amy along for the run as she is intersted in being part of the DGR Team. Amy has lots of experience as a Kennel Manager with Snowy Owl Dog Sledding Company in Canmore so you can show her how smart you are. I made sure we had your orange ball in hand so we could give you a few tosses along the off-leash area by Sandy Beach. There is nothing like a Lab and a game of fetch. The goal was to get you "tongue-out" tired. Amy had some blisters so I got some one-on-one time with Paisley for an extra 2K. Mission accomplished, one tired and very smiley Paisley. It was wonderful seeing you girl. The scoop: 1 poop and 3-4 pees.

Runners: Ruth and Amy

DISTANCE: 9 km  DURATION: 1 hour

Today was my first time meeting and running with the sweet and kind Paisley. She was so excited when I got to the house, jumping up on me and ready to go! Being familiar with the area, we went around her neighbourhood and came out close to Mount Royal and headed back east and down along Sifton, connecting to Sandy Beach. She was very excited to have the ball thrown for 15 minutes before we made our way up the hill and towards home. Beautiful day for a run! We stopped for two pees and one poo. Paisley has a great attitude and was very good on the leash. We had a blast. Thanks, Paisley!

Runner: Sheldon

DISTANCE: 10.03 km  DURATION: 1:08:51

Chocolate dogs are my jam so it was wonderful to take my chocolate boy Teddy out with Chocolate Lab Paisley.  It felt like they have known each other forever.  Here are some of the similarities: 1) They both love LOVE love to fetch balls.  It was quite nice because they took turns with one ball. 2) They both enjoy water so a quick dip in the river was a must.  We even met a Shepadoodle named Laurence.  3) They love people.  There were some guys painting the Rideau Bridge railings the colour brown and we had to stop to say hi. I thought Teddy and Paisley were going to get paint on them ( though it would be camouflaged in their brown fur).  4) They are fantastic athletes.  Running a 10K is not a big deal for these doggies.  They also had  some fun chasing each other off-leash in River Park. Yes, these two are quite the pair.  I hope we get more outings together.  The scoop: no poos and 5 pees for Ms. Paisley.

Runner: Ruth

DISTANCE: 11.12 km. DURATION: 1:09:28

I woke up excited to run with Chocolate Lab Paisley as this is our first full hour together.  Truthfully, I did not want it to end as we were having such a wonderful time together; thus the longer distance.  The conditions were ideal to run Paisley along the Elbow Pathway towards the Repsol Centre as the sidewalks were clear of snow, the sky was blue and there was lots of Fall foliage to take in.  At our turn around point, I found a great spot to toss the ball into the river for this retrieving gal.  The photos say it all (she was beyond happy!).  When I leashed her back up, she even ran faster.  I think the water break was refreshing!  As I was running, I started to think about how she easily could be the DGR Poster Child for what makes a good running dog.  At that moment, we were passing a school playground and she even fetched a ball that one of the kids accidentally through over the fence.  Like I said, Paisley is a model citizen and Ambassador material. Thanks for the great workout and time outside in the glorious sun.  The scoop: 1 poo and 3 pees.
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Runner: Ruth

DISTANCE: 8.82 km.  DURATION: 1:07:57

Good afternoon, Miss Paisley! And what a gorgeous afternoon it was for a run through the slush and the deep snow. Didn't we ever have fun? You have such very good manners, not like that dog, Jelly Bean we met in the park, who was so annoying. You just wanted to run, didn't you? Through the leaves, over the rocks, into the puddles and bouncing through the deep snow drifts. Lots of dogs and birds out to play. Take me out anytime through your neighborhood, Paisley! The scoop: one poop and three pees for Paisley.

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Runner: Barb

DISTANCE: 8.48 km. DURATION:52:17

Oh Paisley! What a sweetheart you are. I know people might find this hard to believe but we had the perfect run today. I don't know why she didn't smile for the camera. Maybe, it was because she wanted to give me a perfect sit. But right before and after the shutter clicked, she was giving me smiles and kisses. So, as far I was concerned, it was all sunshine for me. We headed out and we had a shield of happiness protecting us from the snow, wind, sleet, etc. We first ran through River Park and the few people we encountered gave Paisley big reciprocal grins. She was bounding through the snow as if it was the best thing that's ever happened to her. Well, Paisley that's why it was the perfect run for me. Scoop: one poop and 5 pees.
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Runner: Tammy

DISTANCE: 5.02 km  DURATION: 30:17

Welcome Paisley, a 5 year-old Chocolate Lab to our DGR team of athletes. This gal is quite the athlete which makes sense as her family consists of human triathletes and bi-athletes.  As many of you know I have a soft spot for Chocolate Labs so I knew Paisley would melt my heart from the get go. This past week I saw the Sound of Music musical so I kept thinking about the song "My Favourite Things." as I ran Paisley.  So here are a few of my favourite things:  sunny morning runs, playing fetch in the river with a dog that loves that water like I do, crunchy Fall leaves of all colours, and of course Chocolate Labs like Paisley. She even shook my paw on command and had great recall off-leash.  Her mom told me she loves trail running so we did a short trail route off-leash with her consent.  Thanks Paisley for giving me a great recovery run the day after my Half Marathon and for putting a smile on my face.  The scoop: 3 pees only.  Did I mention, she was great with other dogs and does not chase squirrels?  Good girl!