DISTANCE: 8.1 km DURATION: 58 minutes​

Wind chill? What wind chill? It's merely a strong wind" Rossi the Boxer! As we know, there is no weather that dampens Rossi's spirit to run. I did have to coax him out the door today as he hates leaving people at home but once we got out the door, he was ready to run for it! We headed over to Karl Baker in our usual fashion, starting with a wrestle and run.  It was smooth running along the streets, double sit and road crossing, and then charge towards the park when it's in sight! Given the bitter wind, I was surprised to find quite a few dogs in the park. Lucky for us, they hung out in the big open area so we had the small trails in the trees and out of the wind to ourselves. Rossi was happy to run back and forth but never let me out of his sight so it was easy to change direction anytime we needed to. He ran with his usual exuberance with the wind flapping in his ears. After some good off-leash time, we headed down to the river path. There was not a lot of traffic out there today. The wind was biting my face and every now and then I let out a "Woo! It's cold." Rossi, of course, was not perturbed. He galloped along; turning his head every now and then to give me the "hurry up human" look. Rossi decided to add a little excitement to the run by running towards the pair of geese nestling on the edge of the bank and taking great delight when they flew off. Not to worry, he never gets close enough to take them down!! Once we turned off the river path, it was a pretty smooth run back to the house and Rossi was certainly happy to get his treats inside today. Another good run buddy. The Scoop: 2 pees, 2 poos.
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Runner: Allison

DISTANCE: 10.4 km DURATION: 1 hour 11 minutes

Grim weather was no match for Rossi's grin! Running with Rossi on a Monday is always a wild ride. He is always full of beans and you never know what will spark his interest during the run. Today's run was no exception  Our run started pretty smoothly; taking the path up over 16th Street Bridge and round the pond. The paths were relatively quiet this morning, perhaps due to the biting wind and light snow. Rossi and I quickly fell into step and could run uninterrupted until we got to the Montalban Park Off-leash. There was a bit of traffic in the park but that is something we've come to expect with people now having more time during the day to get out and about with their doggies. Rossi sat patiently as I unleashed him and took photos, then bounded off on the command of "go!". Rossi loves his freedom and was galloping up and down the hill in the park and circling around me from time to time. We were happily traversing the park when a ball went bouncing by with a dog in pursuit. Rossi took off, suddenly interested in catching the ball so there were two of them, bounding after this ball with steely focus.  The ball rolled across the road below the park and under a fence, coming to rest at the base of the steps of a newly constructed house with the dogs' screeching to a halt at the fence, no way of retrieving the ball. I called Rossi to come and he came bounding back to me with a big grin on his face, while the other dog stared at the ball forlornly.  Rossi was happy to have been involved in the chase, He was so excited by the thrill of the chase he decided to try and steal the glove off my hand again. So we ran, with me waving my arm in the air and Rossi jumping up and down like he was a yo-yo. 5 minutes later, he picked up a stick and wrestled and chewed it for 30 seconds before getting bored with it!  You gotta love the energy of this dog! From the park, we headed down to the river. We had a small delay when Rossi did not want to move but we changed sides of the road and he carried on. It was quiet on the paths near the the river so it was smooth running from here back to the house. This dog just likes to keep you on your toes!
The Scoop: 7 pees, 1 poo.

Runner: Allison

. DISTANCE;  9.9 km DURATION: 1 hour 3 minutes

​As I was approaching the house, I spied Rossi out on the steps getting some sun. It wasn't long before he saw me.   He froze and as I crossed the street, he knew it was me. He was still stuck to the spot, but he was poised to spring into action; staring me down, back legs shaking in anticipation. When I got 10 metres into the yard he sprung off his perch; barreling down the the hill towards me. He barrelled by, did a skid, turned then bounded back up the slope and leapt into me! I got the full body hello today with paws on the chest, as well as slobber and dog hair from chest to ankle! This is by far the best greeting I've ever received  We headed down to the river to do our bridge to bridge loop; hoping there wasn't too much traffic today. The traffic wasn't too bad today. We were running a pretty casual pace, which I was quite happy with to be honest, until we were overtaken by a runner and we all know what happened next.... Rossi takes off keeping pace with the runner, because he can't stand being outrun. We followed the runner step for step for about 2km 🤦‍♀️. We did have to avoid a few dogs where the path was narrow, I sat Rossi with his back to the dog and he waited patiently and perfectly until the dog passed, then we got back to running! The crossing of 14th bridge and back under Crowchild was seamless until (again) we joined back onto the river path and we were overtaken by another runner; running faster than the last one. Rossi desperately wanted to keep up, and we did for about 500m then sadly for Rossi, his jockey couldn't handle the pace! When I slowed down, Rossi wasn't too upset because he spied some geese up ahead that he wanted to introduce himself to! It was smooth running the last few kilometres and Rossi was certainly happy to get some treats at the end! A great run today buddy!  The Scoop: 4 pees, 1 poo.

Runner: Allison

DISTANCE: 9.4 km  DURATION: 1 hour

​Rossi revisits immovable rock routine! Everything was going well today.  There was lots of excitement at the door.  We got him clipped in and he was running happily by my side.  We easily navigated around people and their dogs. The sun was on our backs until.....we tried to turn off the river path and head to Montgomery to hit up the off-leash park. Rossi stopped when I tried to pull.  He dug in with his head down and his weight in his back legs.  He refused to move. I tried sweet-talking him, rubbing his ears, and even getting down and giving him a cuddle. No dice! We did this on repeat over the course of 2-3 minutes. I eventually decided to try the last side of the road, where there was no path, and this seemed to be more to Rossi's liking. We started with walking, a few pats on the head, then slow run and into a jog. After we crossed 16th, he ran perfectly, sitting like a champ when we had to cross multiple roads to get across Bowness Road. 🤷‍♀️ There was quite a bit of traffic in the Montalban off-leash today but this didn't bother Rossi, he bound and ran, barrelled and hurtled back and forth. He was so happy to be outside that he decided to try to steal my glove out my hand. I was holding it while trying to take a picture. He ran with me waving the glove up and down and Rossi leaping into the air to try to snatch it out of my hand. When he did get it, he put it straight down so we could play another round!! So much joy, and SO. MUCH. SALIVA  By the end of our run, I had Rossi drool on every surface of my clothing 🤪 From the off-leash, we headed for home with a quick lap around the pond. Apart from the immovable rock episode, I was really impressed with Rossi's behaviour today. He came every time I asked  and even ignored a small dog that started following him when I ran off and called him to join me. He moved off the path with ease every time we had to pass people and sat right away each time I asked him. Way to go buddy!  The Scoop: 7 pees, 1 poo.

Runner: Allison

DISTANCE:9.8 km  DURATION: 1 hour 3 minutes

With the weather warming up and blue skies people are getting outside in droves. On a typical run with Rossi, we avoid passing right by other dogs but now we have to give people a wide berth. So with all the traffic on the paths and in the parks, our run turned into a slalom!  It takes all of Rossi's self control to be able to zig-zag along the path, sometimes having to stop and wait for people to pass at other times running on and off the path, in and out of the mud or melting snow. It certainly makes for an interesting run. Rossi was a trooper today! It was quite challenging to run uninterrupted for more than 3 minutes but he took it in his stride and kept stride with me the whole way. Of course, we had a couple of speed bursts when we were passed by a cyclist or he could see a dog up ahead but for the most part he ran happily along the path (and luckily didn't want to chase any geese today!) Great work today Rossi!  The Scoop: 6 pees.
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Runner: Allison

DISTANCE:  9.3 km DURATION: 1 hour 15 minutes

​Fast feet Friday! It was a full steam ahead Friday for Rossi and me. We started our outing with some wrestling which got us both energized for running. We headed down to the riverside path as it turned out many other people had the same idea of enjoying the blue sky and warmer temperatures it really was a magnificent morning for a run. We made our way along the river then up onto the path and over to Edworthy Park. There were limited off-leash opportunities today but Rossi ran like a champ and seemed to thoroughly enjoy the single-track today. At one point, he was so pumped he just started going for it and I was forced to turn my legs over as fast as I could. It turned into an assisted tempo run and I've gotta say, it was pretty fun. I felt super-human running the small trails at top speed, even uphill, with Rossi, my race dog, running hard in front (pulling me along)  We ran some new trails today, finding a new off-leash area. I was super happy when we ran into a group of dogs and I turned and ran in the opposite direction calling Rossi, and he came; barreling past me and back to leading the way! On our way back over the bridge, Rossi made friends with 2 little girls. Back on the river path, we headed for home. There was a couple running up the street on the opposite side. Rossi caught a glimpse of them out of the corner of his eye, and we all know how much he loves to race......so he was off! He charged up the street; looking over intermittently to make sure we were in front and were not going to be beaten to the top of the hill  Thanks for the run and the help with running faster Rossi!  

​Runner: Allison

DISTANCE :8.8 km  DURATION: 1 hour 11 minutes

What's up Wednesday?! No sign of Hump Day Blues with Rossi today. He was lined up at the door and ready to run when I arrived! We started with a front yard wrestle as always then we were off down the lane of smells and special places to pee! We made our way over to Karl Baker Park and enjoyed the smaller trails. There was quite a bit of traffic in the park today but that just added to the excitement of the run with Rossi getting very energetic every time he saw a new potential friend! Running through the park was a bit challenging today after the melt-freeze-snow cycle.  It was crunchy and uneven and the snow covered the slippery parts making running a little slower than usual. After expending a fair amount of energy, we headed for the river path. Rossi had his racing paws on when we got to the path. Each time he spotted someone ahead, he started racing towards them. I was always relieved when we caught up or passed them because Rossi would give me a look over his shoulder and a smile then he'd slow down a little, just enough for me to get my breath back before the next sprint was on.  Forced sprint training is a blessing in this kind of weather and though my legs don't always want to keep up, it's great to have a trainer who doesn't let me slack off!! From the river, we finished with a constant pace up the hill to home. We were both thankful to be back on the porch in the end! Thanks for the run bud. The Scoop: 7 pees, 2 poos.

Runner: Allison
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DISTANCE: 8.1 km  DURATION:  1 hour 12 minutes

There is a lot of uncertainty and things to be worried about in the world right now.  That is where running with a dog is the best! A run with Rossi will help anyone forget their problem.  You just get him out the door and his general lust for life and goofy face will put a smile on your dial  What a magical day for a run! A cold westerly breeze, blue skies, fresh snow and warming air made for perfect running weather. Rossi and I did a lap around our favourite pond and discovered that two people had been out skiing, yay! We thought about crossing the pond too but decided running around it was the safer option. From there, we headed to Montalban off-leash for some free running. At first, we had the park to ourselves apart from some kids making the most of no school, who were skiing and snowboarding down the hill.  Woot woot! Lucky for us, social distancing is what Rossi and I do best when we're out together so we thoroughly enjoyed our play in the park. Rossi bound and hurtled this way and that, I'd say I trudged more than ran due to the 4 inches of new snow, so it was especially hard work keeping up with my 4-legged friend today!  After a good amount of exertion (on Rossi's part), we decided to head home. Rossi has a knack for knowing when he's on the homestretch always picking up the pace and today was no exception. We ran for it on the way home with the sun on our backs.  I was thankful to be outside in the fresh air and still able to enjoy a run.  The Scoop: 

Runner: Allison

DISTANCE: 8.1 km DURATION :1 hour 8 minutes

Rossi, the all weather dog! It doesn't matter if it's +20C or -20C, Chinook wind or windchill of -28C, raining or muddy, Rossi's enthusiasm for running never wanes! Most of the time, it's inspiring but I'll admit, sometimes I wish he would just be happy to run a little slower 😂 Today, Rossi was as full of beans as ever in -14 with a windchill of -20. We headed over to the off-leash without a hiccup. When I let him off-leash, he charged through the inches of new snow with full gas; bounding in every direction. I struggled to keep up in the new snow but it didn't slow Rossi down! After a big lap of the park, we headed down to the river path. Running into the wind, the little ice bits were stinging my eyes but Rossi wasn't bothered. He was running headlong into the wind, without a care in the world. We ran uninterrupted along the path since there were very few others out in this crazy weather. Rossi set the pace along the path and back up the hill to home where he was happy to receive some treats. Thanks for dragging me around today Rossi!  The Scoop: 2 pees, 4 poos.

Runner: Allison

DISTANCE: 9 km  DURATION: 1 hour 9 minutes

Rossi had a bit of the hump day head space today I think, I managed to get in the door, harnessed up and ready to go before he got off the sofa to join me at the door! Once we got out the door though, it was business as usual. I decided to let Rossi choose the route today and we had quite the adventure. He was keen to go over the bridge to Edworthy Park.  Once we were over the bridge he kind of followed his nose and we zigzagged through the trails, sometimes off the beaten track. He found a couple of new trails we hadn't run before which were pretty cool so I'd say he made a pretty good adventure lead today! On the way back through Edworthy,  I spotted a huge bald eagle in the top of a tree, I just had to stop and observe and take a few photos. It turns out Rossi does not share my love of birds; unless they are on the ground and he can chase them 😉 He did do a good job of waiting patiently even though there was a dog up ahead on the trail he wanted to say hi to. After the bird-watching, we crossed back over the river and cruised on home. It was a fun run today!  The Scoop: 6 pees.

Runner: Allison

DISTANCE: 11.2 km DURATION: 1hour 14 minutes

What a glorious day to be outside! It took a little bit of convincing to get Rossi going today but once we got down to the river and he had the wind at his back, he was happy to keep in step with me. Taking advantage of the easy running on the paths, we headed across the Crowchild footbridge and into the off-leash area by the river. As always, Rossi's energy doubles when he's off-leash and he had a ball running back and forth along the path; always looking back to encourage me to keep up 😉. On our way back, Rossi seemed to be slowing down a bit, that was until we were passed by someone on a bike and, he realized how much he enjoyed chasing geese 🤦‍♀️ It's not often that Rossi chases anything (except faster people on the bike path) but today he took great joy in giving the geese sunning themselves on the riverbank a fright. He would dart towards them, I would pull back on the leash.  They would fly off and he would turn and look at me with a cheeky grin on his face. This dog, honestly! 😂 Luckily, we didn't pass too many pairs of geese so we didn't make too much of a menace of ourselves 😬 Today was a long run but Rossi enjoyed being outside and ran a pretty consistent pace for most of the time. He should enjoy his sofa time this afternoon that's for sure!  The Scoop: 2 poos, 4 pees.
Runner: Allison

DISTANCE: 8.6 km DURATION: 1 hour 2 minutes

Rossi was ready to run and very energetic in all his usual ways, but he was clearly in need if some love this morning. Twice in the first 10 minutes, he became an immovable rock, until he got a satisfactory amount of cuddles, pats, and ear massages. He was giving me serious puppy dog eyes the second time but I couldn't help but smile at his need for affection 😍 It was pretty smooth running for the rest of the time after this but a rather muddy affair in the off-leash park. Rossi was happy running this way and that be we did have to slip and slide on some of the trails. One got the better of me. Luckily, Rossi is a champ and he stopped to wait for me then came to see if I was ok. It was thirsty work out there today so he had to lick some snow to quench his thirst. From the dog park, we headed down to the river where the running was easy. Rossi didn't get too excited when we passed other dogs and charged through the scrub on the narrow trail beside the river which made following him pretty interesting 😳.  After circling Angel's Cafe,  we headed for home. Rossi did a great job with sitting at the traffic lights. Thanks for the run!  The Scoop: 5 pees, 2 poos.
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Runner: Allison

DISTANCE: 6 km  DURATION: 1 hour 2 minutes

Rossi+Ruth+Running. And you thought the three R’s were reading, writing and arithmetic. Well, Runner Laura did not have Rossi on her radar so I picked up the run. I was not sure how it would go as I taught TRX and then just finished a Spin class but Rossi was a champ and motivated me. He is such a sweet loveable boy and his pace was silky smooth. We kept seeing off-leash dogs in on-leash areas so we just did some detours in the snow as I want Rossi all to myself. Our pace was not super speedy but we did have to wait for two long lights to cross a major road to get to the pathway. His face may look grumpy but I think we both were pretty darn happy! See you soon Rossi. No poops but several pees.
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Runner: Ruth

DISTANCE: 8.8 km DURATION: 58 minutes

It’s a beautiful day in a new neighbourhood One of my favourite things about running for DGR is meeting new dogs and today meeting Rossi was no exception. He was so much fun, starting with a little leash tug-o-war which was hilarious and then just being a real easy run. Top that off with a gorgeous day outside and you have the recipe for a truly great run. Thanks for the fun Rossi. The Scoop: 3 pees.

​Runner: Scott

DISTANCE: 9.3 km  DURATION: 1 hour 1 minute

Run Run Rossi! Happy Monday Rossi! It was my first time meeting this handsome boy and I could tell right away we were going to have a great time together. We ran through some trails, dashed along paths, and skated on some ice at a great pace. I tried to sneak on some extra kms at the end, but Rossi knew we were at his corner and very stubbornly stopped dead in his tracks. Have you ever tried to change the mind of a large dog?? So we jogged the last block and that was that! Thanks for the run Rossi!  The Scoop: 4 pees, 1 poo.

Runner: Kathy