Furry Friends 5K

 

The Animal Guardian Society is participating in Intact Insurance's Furry Friends 5K, and we would like to invite you to run or walk with us at this fun event!

This race is a great opportunity to raise funds for local organizations. A portion of the proceeds will be shared by The Animal Guardian Society and Homeward Bound. 

Please visit furryfriends5k.ca if you would like to register, donate, volunteer or become an official sponsor of the event. You can like the Furry Friends 5K on Facebook by clicking here.

Race Information:

Race Date:  June 2, 2013

Start Location and Race Kit Pickup:  Heydenshore Pavilion, Water Street, Whitby, on Lake Ontario adjacent to the Heydenshore Kiwanis Park.

Please note: To be more eco-friendly this year, race participants are asked to bring their own water bottles.  Kinetico Water Systems will be providing a truck of water to fill your bottles.

If you have a craft or business that you would like to promote, you can purchase a table for $150. These tables will be set up at Heydenshore. Contact info@furryfriends5k.ca to rent a table.

Agenda

Race Kit Pickup: 8:00-9:00 a.m.

Warm-up:  9:00 a.m.

Start for Runners: 9:15 a.m.

Start for Walkers: 9:30 a.m.

Awards and Draw for Prizes: 11:00 a.m.

Fees

5K Run or Walk (just yourself)

Fee: $30
What you get:

• Race T-shirt and race kit (guaranteed to people who register by May 15, 2013)
• Race number
• Free professional race photo download
• Entry into prize draw

5K Run or Walk (with your dog)

Fee: $35
What you get:

• Race T-shirt and race kit (guaranteed to people who register by May 15, 2013)
• Race doggie bandana  (guaranteed to dogs who register by May 15, 2013)
• Race number
• Free professional race photo download
• Entry into prize draw

Team Entry (Teams of four with or without dogs)

Fee: $100 per team
What you get:

• Same as above

[All photos courtesy of the Furry Friends 5K community]

Why I Signed Up for The Furry Friends 5K

I am a wannabe long-distance runner. I like running because of all the usual reasons: it's good exercise; it gives you an endorphin boost; you can do it anytime you want; it's free; you can go alone and reflect or go with a friend and make it social.... The list goes on. 

But honestly? I also really like it because it doesn't involve catching, throwing, volleying, kicking, dribbling or any of the other hand–eye coordination–related factors surrounding athletic activity that plagued me in gym class. With running, it’s okay if you lack coordination because as long as you get out there and put one foot in front of the other, you can still be considered athletic. You just might have more mud on your calves than others from kicking yourself.

The problem I have with running is finding motivation to actually go and do it.  However, last summer I discovered that if I registered for a running event in advance and set a goal, that was motivation enough to keep me running regularly as the date approached.

A friend and I signed up for a 5K race in May, and another one in October, with the idea that the May race would keep us motivated throughout the end of winter and into spring, and the October one would allow us to improve on the May results. It worked! I ran regularly from February until October, which I never would have done without knowing that race day was looming.

Now that spring is here again (apparently), I’m ready to sign up for more, and one race I am really excited about is the Furry Friends 5K on June 2 in Whitby. Not only is it in the Durham Region, which is great (I went to Toronto for both races last year, which meant more travel time and larger crowds), but dogs are invited too!

Yes, dogs! The Furry Friends 5K is a unique charity race for people and their furry friends. It’s also quite flexible: participants can run or walk, with or without a dog. Collecting pledges (online or in-person) from friends and family is encouraged, but it is not a requirement. The event is also stroller-friendly so non-furry babies can come, too!

The Furry Friends 5K, now in its third year, is organized by a group of animal lovers who find generous corporate and individual sponsors to cover as many expenses as possible so that any extra monies from registration fees can go directly to local animal shelters of their choosing. Additional fundraising efforts the day of and donations have also made this event a great success in the past.

This year, The Animal Guardian Society has been chosen as one of the animal rescues that will be receiving proceeds from the Furry Friends 5K, and our volunteer team could not be more excited to be a part of this event. Many of our adoptable TAGS dogs will also be there to enjoy a morning of exercise and fun.

Photos courtesy of the Furry Friends 5K Facebook Page

Come run with us! Visit the Furry Friends 5K website to register, donate, volunteer or become an official sponsor of the event. Curious about what a race with dogs looks like? Check out The Furry Friends 5K Facebook page and view pictures from last year's event! 

Flying Dogs—Dogs on Planes

One day I decided to move from one country to another in Europe and also decided to bring my dog with me. My little 100-pound dog. I couldn't be the person who moves and leaves the dog behind!

This meant that she had to be flying on the same plane as me, in the cargo hold, in a crate. It wasn't a long flight, only about three hours, but I was still worried about her the whole way there.

Happy Roxy at the new place

You don't want to know how much I paid for her ticket.... The fee was 10 euros (around $13 CAD) per kilogram, and she weighed around 46 kg. Oh, and don't forget to add the weight of the crate, too, so it came to about 50 kg (110 pounds). Yeah, you can do the math!

So, first, we had to crate-train her because she had never had a crate. She was fine when the crate was just on the ground, but she refused to go in it once we put the wheels on it. And we needed the wheels since carrying a 100-pound dog along with luggage is not easy.

Then our vet advised us to use some kind of sedation for her. He gave us a gel called Sedalin Gel Paste, which we had to apply inside her mouth right before she got on the plane. Her eyes got heavy after just 10 minutes and they were really red, too, but it was just the effect of the sedation. By the time she was taken from us to be put in the cargo, she was asleep.

After landing, I was excited to see her again. It took forever for her crate to be put on the conveyor belt, but, finally, at the end of the line of bags, there came my Roxy, peeking out through the gaps of the crate. My friend who works at an airport told me that I could actually take the dog out of her crate even in the airport, but the staff was looking at us with disapproval, so either they didn't know that I could take her out or maybe there were different rules at this airport. Or they just didn't want to clean up any mess  she might make (which she didn't, as Roxy is a well-behaved dog and we quickly walked out).

The whites of her eyes were still a little bit red, but they turned back to white by the next day. She was a little bit tired during her first day on our new home ground, but she gained her energy back soon after. So, overall, I would say that if your dog is used to different types of transportation (Roxy was an experienced train, bus and car rider), then there is nothing wrong with taking your dog along on your travels. 

Your Checklist:

-Check if there are any important bylaws at your destination (for example, a quarantine for the dog).

-Find out the pet handling fees of your airline.

-Have your pet's passport done in time.

-Have all the shots up to date.

-Find the perfect-sized crate.

-Put your dog in the crate first and THEN give the sedating gel.

-Ready to fly!

Optional: Put a sticker on the crate with your dog's name on it (you can even attach a message) so that the people handling her in cargo can have a more personal experience with her.

As soon as we arrived, some of my relatives were waiting for us, and they burst out into a loud "Roxyyyy!" as soon as they saw us coming. And then they added, "Oh, hi there, Audrey."

Have you had any experiences like this? What's your best method for transporting your (big) dog? Share with us in the comment section below!

Wordless Wednesday: Oh, This Old Thing?

Modest Maude models her spring jacket.
Maude was adopted in December after TAGS rescued her from a high-kill shelter.

This is a blog hop. You can check out the other blogs by clicking on the picture below.





March Adoptions!

March was a fantastic month for adoptions. Nine dogs found homes and we couldn't be happier for them, or their new families!

While these cuties are now off the market, there are still many other pets looking for a new home. Check out our website to find out more about them. Your new family member could be waiting for you!

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Ryella with her new family!

Ryella is a female Rottweiler/Shepherd mix who is between one and two years old. TAGS rescued her from a gassing pound in Montreal and now she is happily settling into life with her new family. 


Derby is a young Shepherd cross who was found in a pound. TAGS rescued him just in time and now he has been adopted by the same family who adopted Goofy a few months ago! 

Derby (right) fits right in! 

Iggy is an energetic Rottweiler/Shepherd mix who loves to play! This guy is approximately one or two years old and his enthusiasm for life easily won over the hearts of his new family members. 

Sawyer is a 1-year-old Collie/Shepherd mix who did not have the best start in life, but things have definitely picked up for his cutie. He was part of an unwanted litter left at a pound, but almost as soon as he entered the TAGS adoption program, a new family scooped him up! 

Sawyer's all smiles! 

Amy is a happy-go-lucky Labrador cross who is about 6 years old. This gal loves belly rubs and being around people. Unfortunately, Amy got lost and ended up at the Sudbury pound, but now she's settling into a new home thanks to TAGS! 

Lexi-Leigh is a Terrier/Shih Tzu mix who loves to snuggle. Lexi-Leigh is nearly a year old and quite shy, but she warms up to people once she gets to know them. 

Lexi-Leigh snuggles with her new mom.

Balin is an 8-year-old purebred Beagle with eyes that can make anyone melt. This calm guy loves walks and spends most of them with his nose to the ground.

Dixie is a beautiful 1.5-year-old Labrador retriever mix. Dixie joined the TAGS program about a year ago when she was rescued from a pound in Kentucky. Dixie can be a bit shy but she loves playing with dogs and cats. 

Congratulations, Dixie! 

Halo is a 3-year-old Australian Shepherd/Beagle cross who was rescued from an abusive situation. It's hard to believe someone could mistreat this cute, playful, cuddly guy, but we're just happy he didn't let those experiences affect his great personality!  

 Congratulations, everyone!