Doggy Fun!

Those that know me well will know that I have 2 passions in life – my dogs and my running – combine the two, and I am completely in my element! That’s why last weekend was probably the best I’ve had in a while.

A couple of months ago, I became aware of a Canicross event that was to be held in Canmore, and all proceeds would go towards the Canadian Coalition for Sled Dogs. For those that don’t know, Canicross is a big thing in the UK and across Europe. As the name implies, it involves trail running with dogs and it can be competitive with championship events held throughout the year with distances ranging from a short couple of miles to 10km or more. Whilst I used to run with my old boys Sam and Leo when living in the UK, I never competed with them, and when Wilson arrived on the scene, he was just a young puppy that wasn’t physically mature enough to run at the time. We then moved to Canada when he was just 12 months old and whilst I started to run with him whilst living in Calgary, Canicross was non-existent over here at the time.

Fast forward 6 years and Canicross is finally making an appearance in Canada. It is gradually growing in popularity as more events pop up across the country and people become more aware of its exitance. It is still in the early stages which is demonstrated by the fact that the Canmore event is currently an annual event for the time being. There was a limit of just 30 dogs and the distance was approximately 4km with the start and finish at the Millennium Park and the course being an out and back on the riverside trails through the town of Canmore, giving some splendid views of the surrounding mountains.

I could have ran with Wilson, Brandy and Tillie which would have been fantastic, but they do run at different paces – Wilson is simply crazy, Tillie is new to running with humans, whilst Brandy is such an easy-going pup that she will happily sit down and sunbathe for 5 minutes in the grass and will then just plod along in her own time when she’s ready. Much as I would have loved the experience, it would also have been a little chaotic but thankfully there was a solution – I had two friends that I knew would have no hesitation in saying yes to racing with the dogs, assuming they were free that weekend.

And so it was that on Sunday morning, we met up with our very good, close friends Glady, Michelle, Nenette and their families, with the plan being that Glady would race with Wilson, I would race with Tillie, Michelle would race with Brandy, and the rest of the family – including Andy! – would be the support crew, cheerleaders and photographers for our 3 teams 😊

Glady and Wilson

Michelle and Brandy

Del and Tillie

There were 30 dogs entered for the event and on arrival at the park, to say the dogs were a little raucous is an understatement! As soon as Wilson saw his running harness, he went crazy which of course led to the girls getting somewhat boisterous and excited and it became a military operation trying to get them to calm down so we could put their running kit on them.

Dogs galore! Getting ready to start :)

With so many dogs competing, it was a staggered start with 2 dogs starting every 15 seconds. For out part, Wilson headed out first with Glady, then Brandy and Michelle, and I followed several minutes later with a shy and timid but no less excited Tillie.

Wilson was off like a bolt of lightning, and watching him and Glady sprinting off into the distance made me so happy and proud. I knew that Wilson would have a great race under the guidance of Glad so it came as no surprise at the end to find out they had finished in 2^nd place, missing out on first simply because Wilson was fighting the urge to jump into the river and kept stopping to sniff at deer poo – that boy really needs to focus!

Brandy and Michelle also had a great run and made such a lovely team. Brandy was excited to get going and followed Michelle with no problems, but after about 1km, she apparent sat down and wouldn’t move. It was only when I ran past with Tillie that she finally got moving again and tried to keep up with us for a short while before tiring and slowing to a trot. Considering her size and the fact that she had been struggling with a sore leg a few days earlier, Brandy did amazing with Michelle and they finished strongly in 16^th place.

For Tillie, she set off with me at the start not really knowing why we were running. Unlike Wilson, she didn’t pull like crazy but she was certainly trotting along ahead of me and was so happy as she ran along the riverside trails. She was mesmerized by the mountain views and the river, she was excited to see the birds and squirrels in the trees, and every time she saw a dog ahead of her, she would put on a little spurt of speed to catch up before gracefully passing them, tail and head held high and what appeared to be a huge smile on her face. Not once did she falter as she ran along although she did jump up at me a couple of times in her excitement. When she saw Brandy sitting on the trail, they had a little play tussle with each other before she got back in to race mode which encouraged Brandy to start running again. It was so touching to see that beautiful relationship these girls have with each other.

Tillie Mid-Race and Loving It!

At the turnaround point, Tillie almost seemed disappointed that it was time to head back but her enthusiasm didn’t wane, and coming into the finish her tail was still held high and she was loving every step, as was I.

We had passed several other dogs but I never really had any expectations with Tillie – I just wanted her to have fun, so I was completely and pleasantly surprised to hear that we had finished 4^th and had won a huge bag of doggy treats and biscuits – an ideal prize for a little pudding of a dog that really does like her food!

After we had finished, Wilson was still running around with our friends with his endless energy, dragging them to the river for a swim and running around the park playing with sticks and goodness knows what else he could find. Tillie and I waited for Brandy to come in, and when she did and she saw us, she sprinted to the finish line with a very happy, smiley Michelle right behind.

It’s hard to explain the euphoria and joy I feel when running with my dogs on the trails, surrounded by mountains. The bond we have becomes even stronger and I get the sense that they feel wild and free being able to run in the outdoors and enjoy the fresh air. The sheer look of joy and happiness they have in their faces is such a wonderful thing to see, the spring in their step, their lovely wet noses and bright eyes, their tails held high as they trot along.

After the presentation (yes, there were prizes for all!), we headed back to the river for a walk with friends, followed by lunch and then headed up to the off-leash dog park where Wilson, Brandy and Tillie had even more playtime and even more fun, wrestling with each other, chasing sticks and wallowing in the mud and the nearby stream to cool off. We were blessed with such a wonderfully sunny and warm day and the dogs were taking advantage of being near to water!

Cooling off in the Bow River

coolin g off in the Bow River

We really did have a most amazing day and it was so good to see our friends again and allow them to share in the joy of running with the dogs after such a long time.

I’m really hoping that there are more events like this for the dogs and that Canicross continues to grow here in Canada. I love to see that interaction between dogs, I love to see how some react to the competition whilst others just bumble along, having just as much fun, and I love how it brings dogs and humans together socially. I know for sure that for as long as I can run, and for as long as the dogs enjoy it too, we will definitely sign up again next time.

Cuddles after the race

Relaxing after the race