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!

Heatwave

The first real heat wave of the summer hit us over the past week, with many days in the mid 30s Celsius, and some days getting close to 40! It is definitely more of a challenge to get out with my bears when it is that hot since they have a double coat and can heat up really quickly! We were able to find some ways around that though by scheduling our walks for earlier in the morning and later in the evening. We didn’t make it to the dog park at the beach as much either as the sand would have burned their feet (not to mention the pavement). We stuck to shorter walks through the neighbourhood for the most part, sticking to the shadier streets and the grass over in the park by the ravine.

Benson Goes To The Vet

Benson was due for his shots so we made a vet appointment for him. Unlike Whiskers, who will do anything to avoid a trip to the vet, the dogs LOVE it for some crazy reason! As soon as we get there they start jumping up at the door and are always super excited to go in and get some attention! I have never actually been inside the vet with Benson…he came home during the first lockdown but clearly they are doing something right in there! And it turns out that the big guy may be suffering from some seasonal allergies as he has been chewing himself and scratching all over excessively…He’s on some meds for it now and it seems to have subsided a bit which is great because I hate seeing him so uncomfortable and was worried he’d end up with a hot spot! It was also a super hot walk that day, but the south side of the street had some shade so we just took our time and drank LOTS of water!

Berners in the Mist

We had some rain during the hot days of the past week, which made the beach an almost surreal scene to behold! There was STEAM coming of the water, and in the dog park you could barely see more than a few feet out into the water! It was like the city didn’t exist and you were all alone in this little bubble! It was so beautiful to witness!

The Chickens Get a New Sign

Not a great surprise, but with the Leafs out of the hockey playoffs the chickens changed their sign. They are all about love this month with a special shoutout to Pride Month! Apparently the chickens escaped their yard over the past week, and the neighbours had to chase the down through the neighbourhood and bring them back to their coop! I would have LOVED to have seen that! Chickens on the loose in Toronto, who would have guessed???

Best Buddies

A trip to the beach would not be complete without running into some of Grace and Benson’s best buddies along the way! First we met up with Gabby for a little romp, but Benson absolutely adores who we met next…Judge is a beautiful dog and lives next to the beach. It is inevitable that he is sitting out on his balcony and whines and barks as soon as he sees us! He came down for some play, and Benson is just in love with him. I love watching those two boys roll around in the grass together! Grace can be pretty hit and miss these days though, too cool for that apparently.

Puppy Love

On one of our trips over to the park at the start of the ravine, we ran into not only one but TWO adorable little puppies!!! One of them was a three and a half month old Australian Sheppard and the other one was a four month old Golden Lab! How fun is that?!? Of course my daughter and I had to get right in there for some cuddles! Benson LOVES puppies, and it was so sweet to see him lie down on the grass with those two little puppies climbing all over him!! Grace was her usual uppity self and had no time for them…She has taken this attitude lately with puppies that if they get too close or try to play with her she growls at them, scaring not only the owners but the puppies too! But she really doesn’t mean any harm, she is just letting them know her boundaries and she would never harm anyone. It just sounds like a big deal…

The Rock Snake

One of the kids in the neighbourhood had a brilliant idea to start a rock snake to see how much it could grow! I love walking along the boardwalk and seeing all the painted rocks! There are some stunning rocks and cute messages and it has really gained a lot of traction! We painted a few rocks and have added them to the snake, but we are still planning on painting more!! What a great idea and fun way to bring people together!

Overall it was a really great week for us! We had a lot of fun walking around and finding new things to explore! The dogs really missed the dog park and were super excited to see all their friends after a few days! The forecast looks a bit cooler over the next week, so we will be sure to get down there more and continue on new adventures!!!

You can still donate and join us on the challenge HERE! It is for charity and you get the bonus of getting more active and healthier!! Win win!

Be sure to sign up for our newsletter and follow us on social media to make sure you don’t miss any updates!

The post Woof Walk Challenge – Week 4 Update! first appeared on Help! I've Got Pets.

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!

Temperatures Heating Up

It was a hot, hot week for the most part which slowed us down a bit as my dogs aren’t physically able to be out for long periods of time in extreme heat. Their black double coats ensure that they heat up really quickly! As such, the risk of heat exhaustion is a real possibility to take into consideration when out and about. We went on shorter walks as a result, and limited our time to earlier or later in the day so that they were not out in the mid-day heat and sun.

The Result

Even with the less frequent walks we were able to hit the 50km mark! It really is amazing to me to realize how much we are actually walking now that I am tracking it! I have gotten into the habit of making sure to check my Fitbit before we head out the door and right when we get back (I use a Fitbit Charge for my tracking!).

The Chickens

Benson makes sure that we go on our morning visit to see the chickens and bunnies we found in our first week! He particularly likes it when they are out of their pen and roaming around the yard as he gets a good and close view! I think one peck on the nose would be all it takes to scare the big guy though, as anyone who has read the recent post on Benson is aware that he is scared of just about EVERYTHING! But brooms in particular…

Well Behaved Dogs

Since Grace and Benson are more tired after their walks, I am finding that their behaviour in general has improved. They are much calmer in the house, and MUCH less destructive! They just don’t have the energy to get up to no good! And on walks their behaviour has improved as well, although they still like to get down and wrestle but not nearly to the same extent! I think that they were bored a lot of the time before so this has been a great solution for us all around!

Cooler Days Ahead

Temperatures dropped overnight and are expected to remain cooler for the next couple of days. I am sitting on the couch under a blanket but it is MUCH more comfortable for my bears. I hope they are ready for it…because I plan on taking advantage of this to add more kilometers to our roster!!! I expect that all of the dogs at the dog park will be full of energy today and we will see more play time instead of everyone heading to the water to stand in it and cool off!

Donate

There is still time to donate to our challenge if you haven’t already done so! It is for a great cause, and you can read about it in my Woof Walk post HERE! There are also links to sign up for the challenge, and I still have some promo codes to give away so you could be able to do it for free! Promo codes are limited so be sure to sign up to get yours before they are gone!! Alright guys, you ready to go for a walk???

The post Woof Walk Challenge – Week 2 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.