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Glen Stewart Park

This week, we decided that we would start spending more time heading over to the Glen Stewart Park near us to catch up with some old friends we haven’t seen for a while! We have been walking down to the beach a couple times a day and I decided it was time to switch up the routine a bit. We saw lots of our old friends, and met lots of new ones! After work on weekdays that park turns into a full on dog park, with everyone meeting up with their pups!

Some of our friends from the beach have also started to come and join in on the fun in the park at that time of the day! Benson has developed this really funny habit of running to the top of the hills on either side of the park…hiding in the brush…then running FULL SPEED down through the brush and jumping through it into the clearing! It is a little Jurassic Park-like because all you can see is the trees swaying before he bursts out! He has gotten some of his friends into this habit as well…

Balls are a hot commodity in this park, as your ball becomes a game of keep away with all the other dogs! Benson has his favorite hot pink Hartz duraPlay ball that we take over and he makes sure to keep that ball well within reach! He loves it so much that I actually just ordered more since the squeaker in his lost it’s voice a long time ago…But I find even with his constant chewing on it that it has stood the test of time!

More Puppies!

Benson is always thrilled when he meets new puppies on our walk! We met new puppies on the boardwalk, in the dog park and in the Glen Stewart Park! Benson always has a blast meeting new friends and will lie down and roll over and let them climb all over him with a look of pure bliss on his face! It always amazes me how gentle he is with puppies given his size.

Grace on the other hand has decided that she is too good for puppy attention all of a sudden. If they try to play with her she will let them know with some friendly growling that she isn’t up for that foolishness anymore…Oh Grace if only you remembered that you were one of the worst offenders in this regard when you were a puppy…a mere few months ago…

Wrestle Time!

Every walk has a wrestle. EVERY walk. I thought that they were getting better with their walking and decided to try going with their regular collars again one walk instead of their harnesses. MISTAKE! We had barely made it two houses and I was having a chat with some of our neighbours…when they decided it was time to have a go at it!

Since Grace is a master of escaping her collar when she wants to go somewhere (or doesn’t…), I have hers adjusted so she can’t slip it…Benson’s wasn’t as tight and when they started wrestling he got out of his collar! Being a time of day when there is a lot of traffic going down our street I panicked when I realized the big guy was out of his collar and off his leash since he has no problem bouncing right out into the road without any thought! The neighbours ran down and grabbed Grace’s leash while I wrestled with Benson trying to get him back into his collar!

It took me a few minutes but I finally got the big guy leashed again! And tightened that collar right up…Lesson learned, they aren’t ready yet to go on their regular collars for walks! Back to the harnesses…

SQUIRREL

Kew Gardens is always a really nice walk up from the beach for us on our way back home, but I tend to avoid it because I think about five thousand squirrels live in there! Benson has taken me down more than once in hot pursuit and will stand at the base of trees jumping up in the air at them! So it is a route I don’t tend to take very often…

One day I decided that the cool of the canopy would be better than walking down the full sun in the boardwalk. I have noticed that the squirrel population seems to have dwindled a bit and they aren’t as plentiful in the park this year (perhaps due to the explosion of foxes in the area…) and decided to risk it. We did not see one single squirrel on that walk but Benson was on high alert! His head was whipping all over the place, scanning the ground and the trees for any sign of a squirrel he could chase! But sadly for him, there were none to be found on that day…and Mom held on to her dignity!

We are well on our way now to meet our goal! The weather has been perfect for walking, with temperatures not too hot and the humidity low making for some great days where we can get some extra steps in. Grace, Benson and I are enjoying getting out more often and doing some extra exploring! And I am also very keen to get more kilometers in before we hit the winter walks…Continue to follow along with us on our journey!

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The post Woof Walk Challenge – Week 5 Update! first appeared on Help! I've Got Pets.

As I was watching the news one morning, I saw this come across my tv. I LOVE the idea of this! You get to log the distance you walk your dog, get healthy, AND donate to charity!! So it’s a win win!

This post may contain affiliate links at no additional cost to you.  By making your purchases through the links on this website HIGP may make a small percentage at no direct cost to you. HIGP only promotes products we use & truly believe in. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. Please refer to my Privacy and Disclosures for further information. HIGP thanks you for your support!

Options To Choose

It is a virtual challenge, and you get to pick your goal which is from 150km to 1000km between now and December 31st. I love the flexibility of the distance, as it allows for all different breeds of dog and activity levels. They even have an option for people without dogs!

Being my usual competitive self…of course I chose the 1000km! After running a few quick calculations I realized that this was the only distance that would really be a challenge, as I am frequently out prowling the neighborhood with my pups.

The Gear!

When you sign up for the challenge, you also get a kit of gear to use as you work towards your goal! This includes a Woof Walk bandana, a human neck gaiter, challenge finisher dog medal/tag, challenge finisher medal/keychain, a cinch bag, a $25 Asics e-card and a promotion code for 25% savings for Road ID!

I also have some giveaways for the first few people that register for the 1000km challenge with us!!! Sign up here to get your promo code and if you are among the first to register you can do it for FREE!!! And you can follow along weekly for our progress! We put in 2.81km already this morning for our first walk on the challenge!

Charities Supported

This is for a great cause, Save Our Scruff and Second Harvest Food Rescue.

Save Our Scruff is a non-profit dog rescue located in Toronto. They rescue and rehabilitate any dog in need and provide any necessary medical treatment. They also provide temporary foster care until a forever home can be found.

Second Harvest Food Rescue is an organization that connects food donors to charities. That way, excess food is delivered to those in need rather than going to a landfill.

Both are great charities! If you don’t want to sign up for the challenge I highly recommend donating to either one of these causes directly.

Our Goal

I have set a rather modest goal of $100 in fundraising. And if you would like to contribute to our team, donate HERE.

My poor dogs have no idea what I just signed them up for! But I am very excited to get started and be sure to tune in for our weekly updates on our progress!!! So wish us luck!! By signing up below you get a chance to get a promo code to take the 1000km challenge with us for free! And to get weekly updates on our progress!!

The post Woof Walk – Challenge Accepted!! first appeared on Help! I've Got Pets.