According to Census data 21% of UK households own a dog and various estimates based on consumer research suggest the total number of dogs in Britain exceed 10 (ten) million. For many people the main exercise they get is walking their dog so therefore it is not surprising that we are seeing some great initiatives using our relationship with our furry friends. Here are two initiatives which are relatively easy to replicate:
The Great North Dog Walk 2010 breaks world record
The World record for the greatest ever Doggy Walk was set on Sunday 13th June in South Shields, Newcastle. 18,113 dogs (of 178 breeds) and their owners enjoyed the 3.5 mile (5.6km) walk which follows a coastal route along the cliffs with magnificent sea views. There were four different routes of varying lengths to cater for everyone within the community and over varying surfaces like grass, gravel and concrete. This therefore allowed for baby buggies, wheelchairs, the young, the elderly, disabled and also older dogs to support this world record attempt.
Whilst the emphasis of the event is on participation and enjoyment if you want to you can enter competitions on fastest runner, fastest junior and fastest senior.
The Great North Dog Walk is the brain-child of Tony Carlisle and was founded by him in 1990, when a couple of hundred dogs participated. Tony is a college teacher who has won the United Kingdom Fund-Raiser of the Year on three occasions and has raised over £4.2m for charitable causes.
As you can tell from the website http://www.greatnorthdogwalk.co.uk/GNDW/index.htm the whole atmosphere on the day is truly great.
Anybody with access to a decent size piece of land for start area and a route for the walk can start up a doggy, whether you are a leisure centre or sports club. Whereas the Great North Dog Walk raises money for dog-related charities I would suggest that your local Doggy Walk
1. links up with local pet/dog rescue home and share the money raised 50/50 between your club's community programme and the rescue home
2. links up with local dog walkers, pet shops, dog groomers, vets and other pet related organisations. Even the Police dog handlers could do a demo (and your poodle could become an honorary police dog for the day!).
3. Invites local dog-owning celebs to start the walk
How CaniX - (running with your dog to you and me) keeps growing
CaniX is the term used to describe the sport of cross country running with dogs, Originated in Europe as off-season training for the mushing (sledding) community, it has become popular as a stand-alone sport all over Europe, especially in the UK. Canix is closely related to bikejorring, where participants cycle with their dog and skijoring, where participants ski rather than run.
Canix can be run with one or two dogs, always attached to the runner. The runner typically wears a waist belt, the dog a harness, and the two are joined by a bungee cord or elastic line that reduces shock to both human and dog when the dog pulls.
Originally canix dogs were of sledding or spitz types such as the husky but now all breeds have begun taking part. Not only can all breeds run but people of all ages and abilities can take part. Including children and the disabled such as the visually impaired. Some breeds are very well suited to not only running and pulling but running at steady pace over a long distance. Canix is now not only a great way for the runner to keep fit, but great for the dogs too. It encourages people and their dogs to take part in outdoor activity and meet other like minded individuals.
Many participants also report that the company of their dogs alleviate the boredom when running alone.
Previous events have included vision impaired entrants running with a human guide, hearing impaired entrants running with their Hearing Dogs, people who have had a triple heart by pass, 10km/ marathon/ ultra-endurance athletes, to kids, have-a-goes and those that just love to do things with their dogs.
In conjunction with Natural England’s green exercise initiative in Swindon, CaniX UK is setting up a pilot CaniX scheme at grass roots level. As well as several permanent courses across the borough, regular training sessions will be held to make CaniX more accessible to all. Following appraisal similar schemes will be set up across the UK.
CaniX is planning to host the European Canix Championship to coincide with the 2012 Olympics. They are currently looking for suitable venues to host the competition with teams from ten countries.
Have a look on www.canix.co.uk and get inspired on how to get running with Buster and Fido!
Wednesday, 23 June 2010
Tuesday, 22 June 2010
How our canine friends can help you raise your profile, generate income, involve the community and get more people more active
According to Census data 21% of UK households own a dog and various estimates based on consumer research suggest the total number of dogs in Britain exceed 10 (ten) million. For many people the main exercise they get is walking their dog so therefore it is not surprising that we are seeing some great initiatives using our relationship with our furry friends. Here are two initiatives which are relatively to replicate:
The Great North Dog Walk 2010 breaks world record
The World record for the greatest ever Doggy Walk was set on Sunday 13th June in South Shields, Newcastle. 18,113 dogs (of 178 breeds) and their owners enjoyed the 3.5 mile (5.6km) walk which follows a coastal route along the cliffs with magnificent sea views. There were four different routes of varying lengths to cater for everyone within the community and over varying surfaces like grass, gravel and concrete. This therefore allowed for baby buggies, wheelchairs, the young, the elderly, disabled and also older dogs to support this world record attempt.
Whilst the emphasis of the event is on participation and enjoyment if you want to you can enter competitions on fastest runner, fastest junior and fastest senior.
The Great North Dog Walk is the brain-child of Tony Carlisle and was founded by him in 1990, when a couple of hundred dogs participated. Tony is a college teacher who has won the United Kingdom Fund-Raiser of the Year on three occasions and has raised over £4.2m for charitable causes.
As you can tell from the website http://www.greatnorthdogwalk.co.uk/GNDW/index.htm the whole atmosphere on the day is truly great.
Anybody with access to a decent size piece of land for start area and a route for the walk can start up a doggy, whether you are a leisure centre or sports club. Whereas the Great North Dog Walk raises money for dog-related charities I would suggest that your local Doggy Walk
1. links up with local pet/dog rescue home and share the money raised 50/50 between your club's community programme and the rescue home
2. link up with local dog walkers, pet shops, dog groomers, vets and other pet related organisations. Even the Police dog handlers could do a demo (and your poodle could become an honorary police dog for the day!).
3. Invite local dog-owning celebs to start the walk
Next week How CaniX - (running with your dog to you and me) keeps growing
The Great North Dog Walk 2010 breaks world record
The World record for the greatest ever Doggy Walk was set on Sunday 13th June in South Shields, Newcastle. 18,113 dogs (of 178 breeds) and their owners enjoyed the 3.5 mile (5.6km) walk which follows a coastal route along the cliffs with magnificent sea views. There were four different routes of varying lengths to cater for everyone within the community and over varying surfaces like grass, gravel and concrete. This therefore allowed for baby buggies, wheelchairs, the young, the elderly, disabled and also older dogs to support this world record attempt.
Whilst the emphasis of the event is on participation and enjoyment if you want to you can enter competitions on fastest runner, fastest junior and fastest senior.
The Great North Dog Walk is the brain-child of Tony Carlisle and was founded by him in 1990, when a couple of hundred dogs participated. Tony is a college teacher who has won the United Kingdom Fund-Raiser of the Year on three occasions and has raised over £4.2m for charitable causes.
As you can tell from the website http://www.greatnorthdogwalk.co.uk/GNDW/index.htm the whole atmosphere on the day is truly great.
Anybody with access to a decent size piece of land for start area and a route for the walk can start up a doggy, whether you are a leisure centre or sports club. Whereas the Great North Dog Walk raises money for dog-related charities I would suggest that your local Doggy Walk
1. links up with local pet/dog rescue home and share the money raised 50/50 between your club's community programme and the rescue home
2. link up with local dog walkers, pet shops, dog groomers, vets and other pet related organisations. Even the Police dog handlers could do a demo (and your poodle could become an honorary police dog for the day!).
3. Invite local dog-owning celebs to start the walk
Next week How CaniX - (running with your dog to you and me) keeps growing
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