All breeds, sizes welcome at doggy fun zone meet-and-greet
Shaggy mixed-breeds like Hairy Maclary and all his much-loved pooch pals, including dachshunds, dalmatians, greyhounds, mastiffs and every cross-breed in-between will be welcome at a doggy fun zone at Christchurch’s Run to Remember.
Sport Canterbury event coordinator Isaac Sutherland said organisers would set up a ‘‘safe zone’’ for owners and their pups to meet and greet, have a drink of water and let playful pups ‘‘mix and mingle’’ with each other.
It was the first-year entrants had been given the green light to bring their dogs on the course, and play areas at either end of the track would be a safe spot for owners to bring their canine friends and for interested runners to ‘‘pop over and say hello’’.
Given the event was intended to be a family day and a chance to spend time with loved ones, it ‘‘didn’t make sense to keep excluding dogs since they are a big part of the family’’, he said.
‘‘My dog Atlas is always by my side. We do everything together, so for him not to be there would have been really weird.’’
In Christchurch in particular, dogs were often an important part of a family unit, Sutherland said.
Christchurch’s dog population has risen markedly in recent years, from 34,072 registered pets in 2013 to 38,527 last year. Dog ownership has soared nationwide, outstripping the growth in people in all the main cities apart from Auckland.
Preventing people from bringing their canine friends felt like stopping them from bringing a member of their family, he said. However, introducing dogs to the annual 10-kilometre event had thrown up a few issues.
Poochy pals would not be allowed to ride on the bus, which will carry entrants to the start line, so owners need to drive or walk their dogs to Victoria Park, on Dyers Pass Rd, in Cashmere, and plan how they will get home from the finishing point in Hansen Park.
Owners also needed to pack rubbish bags and keep their dog on a lead at all times, he said.
Sutherland said his mother would walk his dog Atlas, a Hungarian vizsla who turned one last month, through the Run to Remember course.
Atlas spent most of his days on the beach or exploring the residential red zone. He would be joined by collie/huntaway-cross and trainee search dog Jake, and around a dozen other pedigree, pudgy and playful pups.
Registrations for the Run to Remember opened on January 1. The run is scheduled for February 24.