Hitting the News

Doggyfitness

Program helps pet owners get fit and train their dogs at the same time

By Jennifer Ormston, Waterloo Chronicle


Oct 08, 2008

Sara Clark has an answer for people who are struggling to fit workouts and dog walking into their lives.

Her new small business -- Doggy Fitness -- offers both.

"It kills two birds with one stone," said Clark.

"It cuts down on having to go to the gym and dog walk."

Started this summer, Doggy Fitness's outdoor training classes incorporate human and canine workouts through running, obstacle courses and obedience training.

"So they're doing drills, they're teaching them new skills that overstimulate the dog so it's fantastic for their learning and getting them in shape," Clark said.

The idea for this company came to Clark because of her own hectic lifestyle.

She's a police officer, so she knows what it's like not to have lots of spare time.

But fitness has always been a passion for Clark, who used to compete nationally as a powerlifter.

Plus, she worked with dogs for almost 20 years, doing training with Dog Guides Canada. And now she's the owner of two dogs, a Rottweiler and a Labrador retriever.

"One day I just thought, it would be fantastic if you had group fitness classes with your dog," she said. "They have group running classes, they have group everything."

And because she couldn't find a class like that to enroll in, she decided to start her own.

Her first step was to get advice from the Waterloo Region Small Business Centre, which she learned about online.

"I stopped by, and that's where it all started," she said about her initial visit to the centre, located on the first floor of the Waterloo City Hall building, at 100 Regina St. S.

There, advisor Roy Weber gave her the information and resources she needed.

"She was one of the easiest clients to work with because Sara had a clear vision already and experience in fitness and the uniqueness of combining that with pet fitness," Weber said.

"I'm always an advocate of niche markets ... so it made my job easy and fun."

Clark's first class was held in September at Bechtel Park, and the response was positive with one participant saying it was challenging but she would do it again.

Called Couch Potato No More, this beginner course doesn't require previous obedience training.

"Because of the way the class is setup, the first part of it is the run and it just burns the (dogs') energy, and then after that they focus," she said.

"I'm gearing it towards people who don't go to the gym because it's very intimidating. It's just a fun time for you and your buddy, and also to get in shape."

Future sessions will be held in different venues, but she prefers Bechtel Park because of its proximity to the leash-free dog park, where participants can take their pet afterwards. Dogs must be leashed during her classes, though.

Eventually Clark hopes to expand the program to offer more advanced sessions as well.

All first-time participants get a free class to see if they like it.

"I'd rather people come back because they want to be there, not because they've paid a certain amount of money," she said.

The next class is on Oct. 25 at Bechtel Park. Participants with rescue dogs will receive a discount.

Clark encourages people to consider Doggy Fitness because it offers an easy, fun forum to get out, socialize and get fit with your dog.

Recent statistics have shown more and more dogs are obese, she said, and along with weight gain comes such conditions as diabetes and cancer.

"I've never seen an unhappy fit dog," she said. "You just see a sparkle in their eye when they're being worked."

For information or to sign up for the class, contact Clark at dogfitness@gmail.com or go to http://doggyfitness.ning.com.