Make your dog walks count with the Woof Walk Challenge
Two-leggers and four-leggers are invited to stay active and raise funds for charity
There have been many interesting trends that have emerged as a result of the pandemic, and with many of us working from home over the last year, Canadians everywhere have decided that now is the perfect time to get a dog. This “pandemic puppy phenomenon” has been helping people across the country stay physically fit and improve their mental and emotional health at a time when we have far fewer social opportunities than usual. The new Woof Walk Challenge is taking advantage of this, and now two-legged and four-legged Canadians can put their kilometres to good use by raising funds for two important charities: Save Our Scruff and Second Harvest Food Rescue.
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The Woof Walk Challenge was developed by the race team behind the popular Toronto Women’s Run Series, and is open to any dog lover in Canada and puppies of all breeds, sizes and ages. Registration opened on Thursday, and all you have to do to participate is choose a distance goal between 150 and 1,000 kilometres, and complete that goal by December 31, 2021. All participants will receive a Woof Welcome kit filled with apparel and treats for both you and your furry friend.
Cory Freedman, race director of the TWRS, acknowledges how important people’s dogs are to them, and how valuable their daily outings with their pups have been for their emotional and mental health throughout the pandemic.
“But let’s face it,” she said in a press release, “the last year has been a long slog. So we wanted to bring something new and fun to pups and their people to keep their spirits up and energy flowing, and to encourage everyone to just keep going in the face of the difficulties we’re still facing as a community.”
Even if you don’t have a dog, you’re still welcome to join the challenge, and there’s a human-only category for those of us who don’t have a canine family member.
“The more the furrier, we say,” says Freedman. “For dog lovers, this challenge is a great opportunity to invite your neighbours or other family members to join you and get walking together, safely apart. There’s a category for humans without dogs to enable anyone to feel included and a part of this event.”
To sign up and create your own fundraising page for the event, click here.
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