I had the privilege of pet sitting these two love-bugs for the past week. What gems they both are!! Brock the Boxer or ’Brock Babes’ my pet name for him or ’Broccoli’ as my husband called him. Brock knew when he heard my husband talking to him that it was treat time😊. Miss Tegan, the quiet soul, also had pet names. ’Teggy Teeg’ was used for cuddles and belly rubs. ’Tiki Teak Run Run’ was used on our runs and she enjoyed being in the lead. This gal enjoys her outdoor time!! We had some great adventures trail running; running through new neighbourhoods and checking out all the local dog spots in the NW. I must admit my favourite time was when we had snuggles and TV time. Who wouldn't enjoy the attention & affection of two great dogs?! We miss you guys already!

Pet Sitter: Michelle

DISTANCE: 7.02 km  DURATION: 58:05

"Hey you two, what's happened?" There were only a few barks and those sounded more like excited barks today. When I opened the door, Tegan came out with her tail wagging!! Brock may have also, but it's harder to tell with a Boxer. Sorry, no car ride today. Let's explore the neighborhood. Wow, there was so much construction happening. I wanted to run to Fish Creek Park, but Tegan also wanted to do a bit of rolling in the grass, so we didn't make it that far. Whilst running, Brock was panting, so we stopped and he enjoyed sharing my water. Further on, some dogs barked behind a large fence. Brock and Tegan pulled me to an abrupt halt so that they could try to see the dogs. I'm so glad they did. A few steps more and the three of us would have most likely got run over by a garbage truck that came driving way too fast out of the alleyway on the other side of the fence. What a close call. Thanks, Tegan and Brock. Overall, a great run, sun & fun. Scoop: Tegan had 1 poop,2 pees. Brock had 1 poop, 3 pees.

Runner: Cath

DISTANCE: 7.77 km  DURATION: 1:06:30

Well hello Tegan and Brock. It was a pleasure to meet you both today! I had read a few other dog blog posts about your previous running adventures, so I was expecting a bit of barking when I met you Tegan, but you really didn’t bark that much! Once you guys checked me out and I got you leashed up, we headed off. I’m not sure how, but I accidentally paused my running app while we were running.... The map looks like we somehow flew across the neighbourhood for a short distance haha. I assure you, there was no flying on our run but there was plenty of sniffing. Brock was more energetic than Tegan today so we did some walking and some running just to keep everybody happy. Brock stopped at a sprinkler and cooled off a little and Tegan wasn’t interested in doing the same. Tegan opted for rolling in the grass instead; we all have our preferences! The most exciting part of our run was the great cat encounter. In my experience, cats turn and bolt when they see a dog headed their way. Not this orange tabby cat. He stood his ground and Brock wasn’t even sure what to do with himself! There was a long stare down until the cat turned and sauntered away, which made Brock shake with excitement and let out a few barks. Thanks for the company today Brock and Tegan. Stay cool! The Scoop: several #1’s by both, one # 2 each. 

Runner: Nancy

DISTANCE: 6.89 km  DURATION: 56:15

Oh my, bark bark bark. Hello to you too Tegan! And of course to you as well Mr. Brock. The rain has yet to start so let's get out there. These two ran beautifully down the alley. It felt like we were about to have a great run... And then... we came upon the first patch of grass. Whoa, where'd Tegan go? She was rolling, and rolling, and rolling. It must have felt like an aqua nature massage, because even after I convinced her to get up, down she'd go again. Our pace was literally less than half a km every 5 minutes. Brock was mostly patient through all of this. Other than a brief moment where he thought it'd be fun to play with the leash while he waited for his sidekick. Right when I embraced the idea of a 4km outing, Tegan decided, enough grass massages, I'm ready to run. Boom, just like that we made it to the edge of South Glenmore Park. It was like another runner said yesterday, never judge a run by the first (or second!!) km. because the three of us had a great run today! Scoop: one poop and 2-3 pees each.

​Runner: Tammy

DISTANCE: 6.04 km  DURATION: 52:55

Tegan is an amazing guard dog, I even got some snarling this morning. I just opened the door, talked to her, and waited until she was happy for me to go inside. Having said that, she was also happy for me to kidnap (dognap?) her.  I asked her to jump into my car. I've been in Calgary nearly seven years, and this was the first opportunity and privilege to have dogs in my car. Brock & Tegan were so excited as I drove them to Fish Creek Park (traffic lights and residential streets are so boring). What fun we had!! Tegan showed me today that she does have some speed. I also have noticed that she prefers to run on the grass, so we hit the trails. Brock loved that we made the most of the river and we spent lots of time getting wet feet. It felt like we were on a camping holiday. When we got home the Council sweep cleaners were in the street, so I parked in the back alley. I gave the dogs a good wipe off and a treat. Looking forward to more fun tomorrow. Tegan - 1 poop, 3 pees. Brock - 2 poops, 2 pees.

​Runner: Cath

DISTANCE: 6.50 km  DURATION: 1:00:18

​I'm always very excited, but a bit apprehensive, about running new dogs. I love reading the blogs prior and studying Google maps to plan a route to run. I knew Tegan may take a little while to warm up to me and when I arrived she started barking. I was able to let Brock out of the house and asked him to "let's go potty". He ran to the back of the yard and shortly after returned. What a good boy. I gave him a treat and put on his harness and the leash. Meanwhile, Tegan was watching through the glass door and quietening down. I opened the door and reassured her, then gave her a treat once she was quiet...and that was that. We were able to have a fabulous jog/walk/run/sniff...lie down. The lilacs in the streets smelled beautiful. The sun was out, making the dogs hot, so we took it easy. Brock enjoyed a big puddle in an alleyway, but I forget to stand back when he was finished...Boxer's slobber lol. I hope Tegan remembers what fun we had and greets me nicely tomorrow. Tegan - 1 poop/1 pee, Brock - 3 poops/1 pee.

​Runner: Cath

DISTANCE: 3.26 km  DURATION: 1:00:52

There's nothing like some puppy love to start a weekend off right! Tegan has a new fur-cousin named Asena. This gorgeous 14 week old Lab/Pitty X provided all the fun and entertainment that puppies do best. And Tegan was the patient mentor... a side of her I've not seen before. We started at the dog park close to home, and the girls got some social time in. Asena went from wanting to cavort with the big dogs, to hiding between my legs. Tegan was also very playful... again not something I'm used to seeing in Tegan. I think Asena brings out Tegan's inner puppy. We had a lovely stroll through the neighbourhood and Asena did very well on leash. She responded quite well to the "Drop it" command when she tried to mouth the leash... or Tegan's ear! I can't wait to spend another hour with these cousins! Scoop: just one pee for Asena and 2 poops and 3 pees for Tegan.

Runner: Tammy

DISTANCE: 6.91 km  DURATION: 1:05:06

Good morning Tegan and Henry. I think Tegan woke up on the wrong side of the dog bed this morning as she was a little barky with me. Her human wanted to put her shock collar on her but I said there was no need. I reminded Tegan that I am the bearer of treats and she sat and accepted some very nicely. So the three of us suited up and we were off. Another slow start today as the pups had to take in all the smells the park had to offer. But the sun was shining so there were no complaints from me! Once in the neighbourhood of Canyon Meadows, they picked up speed and we cruised around with ease. On the way back we bumped into Kacie and Pink’s (two other DGR dogs) doppelgängers. So I had to take their pic too. All in all a nice morning to spend with Tegan and Henry! Scoop: only pees for Henry and two of each for Tegan.

​Runner: Tammy

DISTANCE: 6.89 km  DURATION: 56:28

Good morning Henry and family! Where's Tegan? I can hear her... Yes,  I'm here a little earlier than usual, and I've brought another runner with me. New DGR Runner Sean joined us today and evened out all of our ratios today, runner to dog, boy to girl... it was all very well balanced. (See Sean's blog below.) But the run itself wasn't quite as balanced. It took us 35 minutes to run to South Glenmore Park, but just over 20 to run back! The pups did their typical sussing out on the way out, smelling and rolling about. But they had that barnyard door in mind after the turn-around point and kept a very steady pace all the way home! A great run today Tegan and Henry! Scoop today: one poop each, 3-4 pees for Henry and a couple pees for Tegan.

Did a test run with Tammy today and had the pleasure of meeting Tegan and Henry. Both dogs were very friendly and took advantage of the great Fall weather by going on what I've been told was one of their longest runs (good job guys). Tegan kept me on my toes with her tendency to stop and roll in the grass out of nowhere, and I found that Henry must be on a diet as he refused to take any treats. Both dogs were excited to get home and ran faster on the way back (must have gotten a good workout in).

Runners: Tammy and Sean

DISTANCE: 6.11 km  DURATION: 57:45

Good morning Tegan! I guess it's just you and me as your other Thursday sidekick, Henry, is home with a tummy ache. (Too much pizza will do that to me too!🍕🤢) I kept thinking about DGR Runner Sheri's blog from earlier this week when I was out with Tegan today. She was talking about the merits of out and back routes. As I mentioned yesterday, and as is occurring to me today, a lot of us dog runners are always thinking about routes, and how to best optimize our hour with the dog. SO this is typically what happens with Tegan. She spends the first half of the run sniffing every fire hydrant, sign post, bush and tree. So I think to myself, Oh Tegan, we have to run more than this today. This is our "out". And then there's our "back". Which wasn't exactly the same path that we went out on, but Tegan is a different dog on the way back. She is focused on the run. Now, it could be that she was tired of being out in the rain, or that she smelled all she needed to smell, or that she didn't like that lady dressed all in black that she saw. But our "out" took 35 minutes and our back too 22 minutes. So we both got our heartrates up there for a decent amount of time. Thanks Tegan for the run! Scoop: one poop and three pees.

Runner: Tammy

DISTANCE: 6.97 km  DURATION: 56:18

​Good morning pups! I think Tegan may have woken up on the wrong side of the doggy bed today, as truthfully, she seemed a little grumpy when I first arrived. Henry's human said the same thing. It got me thinking about how sometimes dogs can get a little moody too. (I know my dog does!) Well Tegan, let's do something to get you out of your funk. "Bark bark bark!" she replied as we left the backyard. But then soon enough, she started to smile. That's what I love about running dogs, it never takes long for those endorphins to kick in, even on those mornings when I wake up on the wrong side of the bed! And Henry, for being a small Boston Terrier, and 9 years old, is amazing! I'm sure running 7K is like running a marathon for him. Haha, a Boston Marathon! Great job today pups! Scoop: one poop each, lots of pees for Henry and two for Tegan.

​Runner: Tammy

DISTANCE: 6.04 km  DURATION: 57:45

Good morning Tegan and Henry! I hope you've both had a good couple of weeks. I had a great holiday but missed my DGR dogs. So let's head out for our run! Today Tegan and Henry had a really smooth run, in the sense that we started off at a decent pace with less stops. I know sniffing is important for pups though, so I do allow for that. We kept up our decent pace right up until Henry stopped to read a funny licence plate. He laughed because it read, "If you can't run with the big dogs, stay on the porch." Well we passed many porch sitters, that barked their dismay that we were out for a run, and they were stuck on the porch. These two showed me today that they could definitely run with the big dogs! Scoop: one poop for Henry, with lots of pees.  Two pees for Tegan.

Runner; Tammy

DISTANCE: 6.97 km  DURATION: 1:00:20

Happy Thursday Tegan! The walkway at your home away from home looks great! Now let's head out for a run! Speaking of home, I do find Tegan to be a bit of a homebody. In the sense that she typically tends to do a lot of sniffing around and rolling in the grass when we are running away from home. Having said that, Tegan actually had less sniff breaks today and we made it past the 3K mark before turning around. What she does do though is at every intersection, she seems to want to turn in. I'll give her a little pat on the head and a scratch beneath the collar and then break it to her that we're not turning around yet. And then when we finally do turn in, Tegan picks up her feet, she has no more need to sniff and we are off, homeward bound. Because I think for Tegan, home is where her bed is laid, she gets fed and cared for, and her humans love her. She's such a lucky pup to have a couple homes that fit this bill.  Scoop today: one of each. 

​Runner: Tammy

DISTANCE: 5.10 km  DURATION: 53:12

Today I had the pleasure of meeting Tegan's buddy Henry, AKA Hank, especially if he's in trouble! Excitement was high for everybody when I arrived. Tegan wasn't sure at first if she wanted to head out for this run, but once we were on our way it was smooth sailing, with some pit stops along the way. Tegan did her regular sniff and roll routine, which Henry was very obliging about. Then we would have some jogging intervals. But when it came down to it, it was warm for a run. The pups would let me know when they needed a break by just lying down on a shady spot of grass. At first they didn't know what to make of the water dish that I brought, but it didn't take long for their thirst to kick in. They were loving our little water breaks. Stay cool you two! Scoop: Henry: 1 poop and many pees, Tegan: two of each.

​Runner: Tammy

DISTANCE: 7.34 km  DURATION: 56:10

Today Tegan and I mixed things up a bit. Last time it was just the two of us, Tegan didn't feel like running much. It was quite warm that day. So today I thought we would take a little field trip to South Glenmore Park. At first, it was the same stop n' sniff routine. But after doing her thing (a huge poop and very long pee) she started motoring along. I get it Tegan, I can't run with a full bladder either! At one point we saw a deer up ahead on the path. I thought for sure Tegan would give her little 'bark bark' at the deer, but nope. The two just stared at each other. Same thing when we saw a gopher. I guess Tegan just feels at one with nature and its critters. Great run today Tegan! See you next week! I'm looking forward to meeting your friend, Henry.

​Runner: Tammy