DISTANCE:  9.7 km DURATION:

​Rossi's energy for a Monday morning did not disappoint. He charged our of the house insisting on wrestling as we ran. We high tailed it over to Karl Baker to see if we could find the park free and we were not disappointed! We had a great run in and around the smaller trails. Rossi loves the coolness of the long grass and every now and then I have to call him along so I know where he is because the grass is now over his head! 😂 Although it was cooler Rossi was content to run close to me while offleash, it was a different story however when we leashed back up. Running down to the river Rossi was on a mission and was not slowing up until he got a drink. After a nice paddle and drink we climbed back up the bank to the path. Luckily I was tied to Rossi because the footing was loose and wet and I couldn't really get much grip so Rossi diligently went slow and pulled me up the bank! Thanks bud!! Back on the trail, running into the head Rossi was givin-er. I had to turn my legs over faster and faster, we were running so fast that when he stopped abruptly for a pee I barreled straight into him. 🤣 He was full of beans and desperate to say hi to every dog we passed, he had so much energy that when I didn't let him say hi he decided we should wrestle while we run again!! We popped down to the river one last time before heading for home. Rossi definitely had me start the week on a fast note!

The Scoop: 6 pees, 2 poos.
​
​Runner: Allison

DISTANCE:  7.7 km DURATION: 1 hour 1 minute

I wasn't greeted at the door today.  It actually took me some time to track down Rossi but once he realized I was in the house, he came barreling down the stairs almost knocking me over so I knew we were going to be in for a fun run. We wove our way over to Karl Baker and as soon as I unleashed Rossi, he was off leaping through the long grass. If they don't cut it soon, I'm going to start getting lost in there! The park was very quiet at first so we ran easily through the trails and up to the top for a view of the city. Rossi was content to run just in front or beside me and was happy to stop and smell the flowers and check out the artsy things people are leaving around the park.  When Rossi started making drool bubbles I knew it was time to take him down to the river for a drink. Rossi got tapped at by a few small dogs today but he wasn't too bothered. He just watched as they went by. The river is very high at the moment which means there is no riverbank in some spots meaning Rossi can wade where the water is shallow while getting a drink. We allowed a bit more time for a drink today and watched people boat and kayak down the river. Rossi was certainly happy to run at a casual pace today and wasn't overly interested in other dogs, or rabbits or any other distractions. He was certainly very happy to get back inside the cool house and after a few treats, he disappeared back upstairs! The Scoop: 4 pees, 1 poo.

​Runner: Allison

DISTANCE:  9.1 DURATION: 1 hour 4 minutes

​When I opened the door, Rossi leapt off the sofa and skidded across the tiles to greet me. As I'm giving my usual greeting pats and scratches, his dad says "You've got an energetic dog today!". The run started with a wrestle and after Rossi did his first pee, he took off. We are running faster and faster up hill, 4:30, then 4:15. We rounded the corner to cross the 16th St bridge and he's givin-er, @ 3:50 pace, His dad was not wrong. We're running across the bridge when I realize he's chasing down a dog that's ahead of us. When we get within 10m, the owner stops and sits the dog down in an attempt to let us pass.  We come to a screaming holt so I can get ahold of Rossi, but Rossi, he's on a mission. He promptly sits down and refuses to move. He's not going by. The owner explains her dog is reactive on leash, I tell her I completely understand! So we're in a bit of a gridlock with the immovable rock not budging so I advise her to keep going and I'll wait until they're off the bridge before we start up again. Off they go and of course when we start going again, Rossi is running hard, we use the long grass beside the path to pass them but again Rossi stops. I decide it's probably best to just cross over to the West Campus pond from where we were so we can all get on with our walk/run 😂 Over to the pond and it was time for a drink. Definitely having to sit down while he takes a drink has two downsides: 1) the mosquitoes 2) it puts me in range for when he does his post drink shake to be sprayed with the water/slobber combo 😝 After a quick lap round the pond, we headed over to Montalban off-leash. The park was mostly empty and Rossi was full of beans so he had a ball running circles around me. We made full use of the space and the cloudy skies made for consistent running, no stopping in the shade today. After a good run off-leash we headed back to the pond for another drink. Rossi was still running hard.  The slobber was immense 🤣 Popping down to the water's edge, Rossi was able to check in on his duckling friends; almost wanting to join them for a swim. We ran a solid pace and even had a good wrestle while running the last few hundred meters to the house. His dad was not wrong, Rossi certainly was an energetic boy today 👍.  The Scoop: 2 poos, 7 pees.

Runner: Allison

DISTANCE:  8.9 km DURATION: 1 hour 5 minutes

"Can you hear, can you hear the thunder?......you better run, you better take cover!" There was a lot going on when I arrived at the house and Rossi was unsure about leaving to go on his run. Luckily, I've worked out a little trick to get him lined up and ready to get his harness on which never fails. Once he has his harness on, he is always happy to run! Rossi and I were enjoying a nice quiet Friday jaunt (despite the mosquito bites I got while picking up his business 🙄) when we arrived at the top of Montalban park. We looked west to see some very dark and ominous clouds coming toward us. We figured we may as well get as much off-leash time as possible before it started raining! Rossi was happy to be unleashed and was bounding around when we heard the first thunder clap. Every person and their dog immediately started running for cover! Since Rossi had good energy and he needs his outside time I figured we needed to continue on until we felt the first drops.  Given that I come from a "Land down under" it was fitting to have this song in my head given the weather conditions 😂 Lucky for us this left the park empty and we had the run of the place (pun intended 😉). We played hide-and-seek, had a good wrestle and Rossi got rid of a lot of energy. As we were leaving the park, we saw some lightning in the south, the rain clouds had missed us! 🌩🌫 We headed back to the pond for Rossi to get a well earned drink before heading for home. Rossi ran a good pace today between stops and although his stools are quite soft, he had good energy and was a pleasure to run with today!!  The Scoop:  8 pees, 2 poos.
​
Runner: Allison

DISTANCE: 8 km DURATION: 1 hour 1 minute
​
Rossi made a new friend and didn't quite know what to do with him! Cooler temperatures definitely gave Rossi a boost. His dad was filling me in on Rossi's behaviour lately but he was so keen to get out the door that he stood with his nose to the door crack and started whining to let me know it was time to stop talking and get running 😂 We headed over to Karl Baker off-leash without any hiccups. Rossi was running a consistent pace and was happy to sit as we crossed the major roads to get there. The grass is getting very long in the park and Rossi was happy to run and bound through it. We had been in the park a few minutes when a dog came barreling up to Rossi, he was excited and gave chase. By the time I got back out onto the open space, Rossi was running full speed in pursuit of the dog.  Both dogs were having a great time. I started chatting with the owner as the dogs alternated chasing each other. I was just saying how happy I was he was socializing because he isn't that great at it. As if on cue, Rossi decides to jump on the other dog from behind, he flattened the dog to the ground then stood over him.  The other dog wasn't overly happy with this and let Rossi know. They sorted it out and there was no harm done but the other dog wasn't overly keen to interact with Rossi after this. Rossi was a bit upset he'd lost his new friend but was certainly happy to have had a good run around. 🤦‍♀️😂 Given we started our time in the off-leash with such exuberance, Rossi was pretty puffed and didn't need to runs rings around me as we continued our time in the park. The effort of the chase had Rossi slobbering quite heavily and as I stopped him to let another dog pass he managed to clean his face on my tights, lucky me 🙄 From the park, we headed to the river so Rossi could get a drink. Quenching his thirst charged him up and he was ready to start running his winter pace as we ran the river path until his next drink. Rossi did try to say hi to a couple of big dogs but I managed to steer him clear for a smooth run home.The Scoop: 5 pees, 2 poos.

​Runner: Allison

DISTANCE: 9.9 km. DURATION: 1 hour 9 minutes
​
Making the most of Monday! No matter what kind of morning I've had, whether I'm frustrated, challenged, tired or feeling a bit down - it all melts away when I run with Rossi. His over zealous welcome when I come in the door and his quirky personality never fail to make me smile or laugh! 😊😂 We had a splendid run today and the cool breeze certainly energized Rossi as we had our fastest run in a few weeks today. The Bow river trail was back open so we happily ran our bridge to bridge loop with some off-leash time. Rossi did really well with sitting and waiting as other dogs went by even though he was desperate to say hello. He was approached by a dog when we were by the river.  He was so happy to have the attention that he jumped up to try to engage the dog in a wrestle.  Unfortunately, the other dog was so surprised it scared him and he ran back to his owner. There was no growling or barking just one excited and one petrified dog 🤦‍♀️.   Oh Rossi, we still have to work on those social skills. Today Rossi particularly enjoyed running through the long grass while off-leash. He kept disappearing and reappearing with great joy! I imagine it was much cooler in the grass than out in the sun so I can understand why he enjoyed it so much. Running back along the river path, there was a lot of traffic and of course, lots of dogs, Rossi did get excited and want to say hi but I was able to keep him running and moving at a good pace. He wasn't interested in the geese today so that made our run smoother for sure. After a long drink stop we headed back to the house. Rossi was firing on all cylinders right up until we arrived at the front steps, when he promptly stopped and refused to move. 😂😂 I managed to coax him inside with some treats and as soon as he had them, he disappeared into the house to get a drink. Great run today Rossi!  The Scoop: 6 pees, 1 poo.

Runner: Allison

DISTANCE:  7.9 km DURATION:  1 hour 7 minutes

Rossi and I are very fortunate to have a lot of lovely green space on our routes allowing us to get off the path and out of the sun when we need to. Today was definitely a hot one so we tried to find the shade and lots of drink stop opportunities on our run. We were pretty pleased to find the West Campus pond with no traffic so we could easily do a lap and watch the three different types of ducks with their ducklings swimming in the pond. Luckily for us, they weren't too bothered by Rossi's splashing around and noisy slurping. We definitely had a far more relaxed run today due to the heat. When we ventured over to Montalban off-leash, we did our best to pick our way across the park from one shady spot to another. We were both happy to walk and jog and enjoy a few quiet moments in the freshly mowed park. Rossi's tongue was rolled out at it's full length for the majority of the time  so moving slow was definitely the order of the day. Even though Rossi wasn't loving the heat,  he still looked up at me with a cheeky grin when we were running and his nose was working overtime with all the new smells of spring, and no doubt the higher amounts of traffic through the parks. We finished our run with another lap round the pond, I've learned my lesson and know to sit or crouch down now when Rossi has a drink because he likes to get in the water and wade while he drinks. Luckily, he doesn't try to swim or I would end up in there with him. ☺ Thanks for getting me moving today Rossi. I needed it. Enjoy your weekend!  The Scoop: 6 pees, 2 poos.

Runner: Allison

DISTANCE:  8.8 km DURATION: 1 hur 10 minutes

 Given the warm weather today, Rossi and I implemented our warm weather protocol. We ran a more casual pace; sticking mostly to the shaded areas and scheduled long drink stops! This made for happy dog and happy runner! Today we headed to the Karl Baker off-leash.  It was busy at first but quieted down after a while and we spent lots of uninterrupted time running the smaller trails in the shade.  It may sound like an odd thing to say but the dog park smelled amazing today. There were lots of new blooms and lilacs with a gentle breeze meant we got to run with the air full of the smell of spring! It was a nice change from wet dog and mud puddles  Next, we headed to the river and as we crossed Memorial onto the path a person riding by made a comment about Rossi. Lately, he has received a lot of compliments but today's observation was a little less endearing "Ah the Boxer drool!" Rossi wasn't bothered though as he was on a mission to get to the river!  We took our time running on the grass between the paths and making frequent drink stops. You can never count Rossi out though as he always finds the energy to pick the pace up when something takes his interest. Today it was a squirrel who left his escape to the last second and instead of running up the nearest tree waited until Rossi was level with him then darted across the trail and up a tree with Rossi in hot pursuit  Rossi is no tree climber.  Thankfully the score ended: Squirrel 1, Rossi 0, thankfully! Even though it was very warm, Rossi was happy to run today and there were no immovable rock moments so that was a definite plus. Needless to say, that after he received his post run treats, he trotted off for a drink, no extra ear massages or pets today!  The Scoop: 5 pees, 1 poo.

Runner: Allison

DISTANCE:  9.9 km DURATION: 1 hour 16 minutes

Sliding into the week like....🏄‍♀️ Rossi was certainly firing on all cylinders today! I got a very energetic greeting and the customary front lawn wrestle before starting our run! We headed for the river and over to Edworthy for our Monday river loop.  Our plans were foiled though as the Bow River Trail and Douglas Fir Trail were closed so we headed into the single-track above Edworthy. Rossi was going full steam ahead up the steep hills and I had work hard to keep up and not get pulled over! We were enjoying the trails until it was time to start descending. The trail was slick mud and Rossi picked up on the scent of the dog in front of us and started charging downhill. With my well worn road shoes on, I had zero traction - that coupled with being strapped to Rossi on a mission made for a very sketchy decent. I was trying to slow Rossi down but he was letting up, I was literally mud skiing down the trail; holding the leash with both hands, leaning my weight back and Rossi hammering as my motorboat providing the tension. It wasn't long before I realized this was not the safest way to get down the hill.  I had to grab onto a tree, get my feet on some scrub and firmly say "Stop!" to get ahold of the situation 😂😂.   I managed to get Rossi to turn around and go back the way we came. Luckily, Rossi is pretty adaptable so he wasn't too bothered by this. We then zigzagged our way back to the river for another drink stop. Our off-road adventures are certainly getting interesting now that everything is in bloom.  While Rossi fits under or between most of the new growth, the majority of what's overhanging the trails is chest and head height for me and when I'm strapped to Rossi I don't have time to avoid things, I just have to crash through everything and try not to knock myself out!! After crossing back over the Edworthy bridge and turning back along the river, Rossi got a second wind.  He was interested in every dog we passed; even looking up at me with a cheeky grin after pulling hard on the leash trying to meet another dog. When I didn't let him say hi he then decided it was time for a wrestle. It was like he was flossing his teeth with the leash, it was getting covered in his slobber as he dragged it through his mouth and since we were still running during this time, my leg was also getting covered in slobber. It certainly entertained all the people we passed and I'll admit it made me laugh too. Rossi charged back up the hill to the house today, only slowing when we were on the front step. Thanks for putting me through my paces today buddy! The Scoop: 4 pees, 1 poo,
​
​Runner: Allison

DISTANCE:  8.7 km DURATION:  1 hour 5 minutes

Rossi's energy level was on point! After a heavy strength workout last night, my legs were not overly fresh but thankfully Rossi did not spring out of the gates like usual and was happy to get up to pace gradually. We fell into step well today and cruised up the hill. It was warm and Rossi's tongue was rolled out within the first few minutes so we took the time to have a few extra drink and take some wading stops as we ventured around the West Campus Pond. It's a beautiful spot at this time of year and getting to stop and enjoy the bird life while Rossi splashes around is quite special! From the park we headed over to Montalban off-leash, but not without Rossi falling in love with a young women who we played leap frog with on our way to, and through, the park. He had to keep stopping to check whether she was still coming  The park was busy today but that didn't matter too much as Rossi is content to run less and spend more time moving slowly through the shaded areas, which I certainly welcomed today!  It wasn't dogs that caught his attention but small children in the park; he loves them! While he did get excited and want to charge over to say hello, he responded well to my commands and kept moving albeit a bit disappointed that he couldn't cover them in slobber! Rossi let me know he wanted to leave the park earlier than usual so we took a little detour on the way to our second lap of the pond. Rossi quite enjoyed running through the longer grass and finding some new places to sniff. He was clearly hot today as when we stopped for his final drink,  he got in the water up to his chest, almost pulling me in with him. Ha ha. We had a pretty smooth run home from here and I spent some extra time giving him some pats and ear rubs after his treats as he seemed like he didn't want me to go. Ah Rossi, you're such a big softie.  The Scoop: 7 pees, 1 poo.

​Runner: Allison

DISTANCE:  9.2 km DURATION: 1 hour 4 minutes

Rossi's tongue is always a talking point! I think my all time favorite greeting from Rossi is when he is already in the yard when I approach the house, I can see the excitement building into a quiver until he launches himself into action, barreling down the hill towards me, blows by, turns back up the hill and jumps up on me. Although I do have a moment where I worry he's going to knock me over I get totally caught up in his energy and we both end up grinning 😁 We had a lovely run on what's become our regular Friday route. West Campus pond is beautiful at the moment, right in contour and bird life and Rossi loves doing a lap, saying hi to the ducks & geese, and getting a drink. Today he even got to say hi to a young boy who was quite taken by him! After our pond lap we headed to Montalban offleash which had been freshly mowed! It's was in prime running condition with the lush grass and plenty of shade for Rossi when he needs a breather. We had a pretty smooth run in and around the park, two little dogs chased after Rossi desperate to say hello, when their owner called them back and he was unable to say hi he sat down and refused to move, not something he normally does when he's offleash 😂 The warmer weather definitely slows Rossi down a bit, he still loves bounding around at the beginning but he gets tired and he tends to run next to me or behind me sometimes stopping in the shade for a rest! Rossi did run well today on the whole and was very responsive to my commands. Due to the heat and the length of his tongue when it rolls out of his mouth we got a few comments and two people ran by us and hung their tongues out of their mouths 😂. On our second lap round the pond we had a few drink stops which was nice for me because I got to listen to the birds and watch the ducks swimming around. It's a nice way to, sort of, finish up our run because it is close to home and Rossi is typically reenergized for the final km back to the house 😊.  The Scoop: 6 pees, 2 poos.

​Runner: Allison

DISTANCE:  8.7. km DURATION: 1 hour 1 minute

​Hi, my name is Rossi! Rossi seems to have been following the social media trend of encouraging people to be careful but kind and made it his mission to say hello to everyone today. While his intentions were great, he's missing two key components.  1) He forgets about the physical distancing thing. 2) He is not good at reading other animals' behaviour 😄🤦‍♀️ Not far from the house, we encountered a dog who was lurching and barking aggressively at Rossi.  He was very excited by the attention.  When the owner managed to drag the dog past us, Rossi looked up at me all excited and started jumping up in the air with glee. Rossi, that dog does not like you! This theme seemed to continue when we got to the dog park. There were a couple of people with dogs on leash and he desperately wanted to say hello but no part of their or their owners' behaviour was giving off that impression!! Today's selfie was ill-timed as a ball with 4 dogs chasing it went by just as I snapped the shot 😂 All that aside, we had a lovely run through the off-leash park which is slowly all turning green with some lovely spring blossoms. From the off-leash, we headed down to the river for the world's longest drink (or so it seemed) and some goose and gosling slalom. Rossi was running well and he certainly put on a show for people following all my commands and running in step with me.  He even received a few compliments about his behaviour.  These people missed the bit where he stopped and refused to move when we turned around instead of going over the footbridge to Edworthy Park!! Ha ha! The amount of traffic is increasing with the improving weather.   This creates lots of distractions and challenges but Rossi is responding really well and for the most part does a great job of avoiding people, bikes, dogs, rollerbladers, kids, geese etc. There is certainly less anxiety on both our parts now which adds another level of enjoyment to our runs.  The Scoop: 6 pees, 1 poo.

​Runner: Allison

DISTANCE: 8.2 km  DURATION: 1 hour 1 minute

Moody Blues!  Rossi's owner and I have concluded he has hit his moody teens! I think the pictures from today's run show how unimpressed he was to be off the sofa and running in the rain. It was slow going from the minute we stopped off the porch today. Rossi kept finding excuses to stop or change our direction. When we made it to the off-leash park, he seemed to perk up a bit and be happy to run but he spent most of the time lagging behind me; only occasionally barreling by me to get in front. After a short stand-off about leaving the dog park,  we headed down to the river but not before Rossi insisted we change sides of the road 🤷‍♀️ Running along the river path, he was seriously dragging his feet. I tried to take him down to the river for a drink but he refused to come down. Due to his weight and strength and the angle of the bank, Rossi was able to stand at the top of the bank not moving with me below him and all my weight on the leash, I looked like I was rappelling down the embankment 😂.   I gave up on the drink and attempted to head for Angel's Cafe. We would run for a few minutes and he would stop, I would massage his ears and encourage him, then we would start with a walk, increase to a slow jog, then stop! I tried changing direction and that didn't even work. Eventually a couple walking with their dog got in front of us and that got him moving but he still wasn't keen to run very fast. It's a shame he couldn't work out that not wanting to be out in the rain but refusing to move or run was not helping his predicament!! I did eventually get him back to the house and he enjoyed a good towel down and treat; even looking up at me with his big sad face as I left the house 😞 Oh Rossi, you are such a funny dog. There is seriously never a dull moment with you ❤.
The Scoop: 5 pees, 2 poos.
​
Runner: Allison

DISTANCE: 9 km  DURATION: 1 hour 3 minutes

Rossi was SO excited to get running today.  He could hardly contain himself! He was extra slobbery and it seemed to fling everywhere - I tried to get a picture, I hope it shows up because it was so cute, Haha. We saw some baby ducks for the first time today and ran along the grass to keep a good distance from everyone. Thanks for a great run Rossi!  The Scoop: 1 pee, 1 poo.
​
Runner: Jessica