People in the Evansville area can now get their morning exercise by walking or running with a homeless shelter dog from the Vanderburgh Humane Society through the brand-new Cardio for Canines program!
Participants will come to the rear entrance of the VHS (the Intake/Surrenders lobby) on Saturday mornings at 8:00 am. They will fill out a short release and a staff member or volunteer will select for them a dog of the appropriate energy level and temperament. At 8:30, all participants will leave the shelter for a walk/run through Garvin Park! Sessions will end no later than 9:30 am.
This pilot program, still in its infancy, is designed to benefit both human and canine. Evansville has been criticized far too often for being an “obese†city with many programs & organizations devoted to helping people in the area stay healthy. Cardio for Canines is a great way to get active while helping a homeless dog at the same time. VHS shelter dogs spend about 22-23 hours a day in a kennel. They can mentally and psychologically deteriorate from a lack of exercise and human interaction. Programs like this help the dogs get much-needed exercise, socialization, and good ol’ fashioned fresh air & sunshine.
Cardio for Canines is the brainchild of VHS staff member Lauren Schmitt. An avid runner, Lauren is passionate about humans being healthy & active. But she is even more passionate about animals, particularly shelter dogs who often get overlooked for adoption because they are too high-energy or barking too much in their kennel. She and her friends and family are volunteering their time to make Cardio for Canines a success.
The first session was held on June 25th with great success just from social media & word of mouth promotion. Every single available dog in the building got to go out on a walk/run. VHS hopes to have regular participants and to see new faces throughout the coming months as well. The program resumes this Saturday, July 9th and will happen weekly every Saturday (excluding holidays) for at least the remainder of the summer.
Water will be provided in Garvin Park for humans and dogs. Children, strollers, and wheelchairs are welcome, but participants actually walking dogs must be 18+. The VHS wants to emphasize that people of all fitness levels are welcome at Cardio for Canines. From marathon runners to leisurely walkers, everyone is welcome! At the end of the day, the main goals are for people to get active and dogs to get much-needed exercise & enrichment. The dogs will love you whether or not you’ve done a 5K!
More information about Cardio for Canines and pictures of recent sessions can be found under their Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/Cardio-For-Canines-672639419540250/?fref=ts. Participants are welcome to take photos of the dogs and share them on their personal social media page to help promote them for adoption. They will also be asked to fill out a behavior report on the dog’s personality to provide more information for potential adopters.
