Going for a jog can make dog’s day
As a runner, I doggedly pursue fast race times. So taking a dog on a run would be a natural next step. But as a cat owner, how would I get a dog for a jog? Simple: I went to the Loaned Jogger event at the Pet Alliance of Greater Orlando. The shelter pairs pooches with volunteers three Thursday mornings a month for a 2-mile out-and-back run or walk. On a recent Thursday, I arrived around 6:30 a.m. and was matched with Butterfly, an exuberant female pit-bull mix who ran straight as an arrow, not even stopping for water, much less anything else. We zipped along the sidewalk near IKEA and around the western edge of the Mall at Millenia property to a bridge leading to a spur of Shingle Creek Trail, arrived at a turnaround sign and a shelter volunteer with a water bowl, then bounded back. When I returned, I had enough time to snag another dog. Scooby was a friendly brown male Lab mix who wanted to stop at every bush and lamppost. He also wanted to chase every car that passed. We made it back around 7:45 a.m. to the shelter’s Agility Yard, where the dogs are brought to be paired with runners or walkers. It’s a great way for the pooches to get exercise and find owners, shelter staffers said.
“Our Loaned Jogger program provides a healthy re- lease of energy for our younger dogs and also helps connect them to the people running them,” Pet Alliance spokeswoman Nicolle Taylor said.
The nonprofit Pet Alliance received about 8,000 animals in 2014, Taylor said, and adopted out or transferred to a pet rescue 91 percent of those animals.
“We are an open-door facility, meaning we will take in any animal regardless of age, health or behavior,” Taylor said.
The agency also runs two veterinary clinics in Orlando and Sanford, with discounted services including a pharmacy, spaying, neutering, vaccinations, blood tests and dental cleanings. The Pet Alliance also has a mobile vaccination, microchip and spay-neuter program that visits low-income areas in Orange and Osceola counties. Older, homebound pet owners who get Meals on Wheels can also get free food for Fido and Fluffy delivered via the Pet Food Pantry, and in summer, kids can attend a camp to learn how to care for animals.
For owners whose pets are misbehaving or don’t seem affordable anymore, the Pet Alliance can take them. But first the group tries to help owners through Bark U Academy, which provides training, tips from behaviorists, and referrals to pet-food pantries and rescue groups. For those wanting to exercise a pup, the Loaned Jogger run-walks start at 7 a.m. three Thursdays a month. Sign-in starts at 6:30 a.m. at the Agility Yard, and dogs should be returned by 8 a.m. No family pets should be brought to the run-walk, as there’s no telling how they might interact with the shelter animals.
If you’re interested, RSVP at least 24 hours before the run-walk at 407-351-7722. The facility is at 2727 Conroy Road, Or- lando. And then consider adopting that dog you just ran or walked with. Fees range from $75 to $300 depending on various factors. But you can’t have Scooby — he was adopted hours after I ran with him.
Staff writer Kate Santich contributed to this report.