Our Ambassadors
We are very proud to introduce our DogFit Ambassadors. They are passionate about spreading the Canicross joy as much as we are through their Instagram channels and on social media. Follow their Canicross adventures on Instagram
@chewybarkerwoof
Bio from Melissa: Canicross has helped me in more ways than one. I am getting out there in my car and driving to the class (those who know about me and driving will know I get anxious) I did find my leggings get a little tight after lockdown 1 but a few hill sessions with Emma and Chewy soon sorted that out. I feel my running has just got better distance wise and I get to train with my favourite runner Chewy!
Bio from Chewy!: My Tuesday night Canicross sessions have helped my human so much.
@vikto_garik_runs
Zuko aka “The Firelord” and I started our canicross journey together last year when he turned one. I am a keen trail runner and have always run alongside others who ran with their dogs and that was when I first came across canicross. It was lovey to see the bond shared between runners and their dogs and it’s a relationship I wanted to experience. Believe it or not I use to be scared of dogs as a young child after a terrible experience but thankfully it’s something I have overcome as I grew older and Zuko has really helped me get over that fear completely, he has just been a joy.
We started off doing a lot of free running and late last year we purchased our starter canicross kit from DogFit and have not looked back since. My running has improved immensely as a result, he is the best training partner, and we are both at our happiest when we out on the trails, I have a few trail ultramarathons to train for and he will be with me every step of the way.
@benson.bees.adventures
Georgie Lambert, British, European and World Championship Canicross competitor.
Benson The Brave a Collie|Spaniel, 8 year old Furbaby
QueenBee a Scandinavian beauty Hound
** British Silver Medalist **
** European Bronze Medalist **
** Ranked 10th in the World 2020 **
@simonwatso
Hey. I'm Simon. Running with my dogs is my favourite pastime. I have three English Pointers, Rusty, Jack (pictured) and Willow. Rusty is winding down now so I mostly run with Jack and Willow. I started running with my dogs a couple of years ago and started using DogFit gear this year and haven't looked back, it improved the experience a lot. Earlier this year (2023) Jack and I participated in our first Canicross events and loved it.
We're based in Surrey and most of the time you can find us running around the local canal footpaths or the Surrey Hills. When we go on holiday our favourite way to explore our destination is by going for runs and adventuring together.
Jack, Willow and I cannot wait to get stuck into more canicross adventures in the future. We're extremely excited to have joined the DogFit family and their ambassadors team.
@Millie.and.Loki
Hi, my name is Rebecca. I have two border collies. The younger one, Loki, has been keeping me on my toes since 2021. He is an intelligent dog and always on the go. When he reached his milestone of 12 months I wanted to get involved in a sport with him. At that time I had ‘recently’ had a baby, so I thought it would be a great way to regain fitness and build on my bond with Loki.
Loki and I absolutely love running together. It makes me so happy that we’ve found something we both enjoy, that has such profound mental and physical benefits for us too!
@karen_fit_hybrid
Hi I'm Karen and this is my boy Butch. He is a rescue from Crete and started life out as a street dog. He is now a family dog who has fully immersed himself as a Canicross dog. We are still new to the sport,but have learned so much in the short time we have been running together. We have loads of fun, keep fit and healthy and cani has actually helped Butch become less dog reactive. We have both found our love for cani and we will continue running together.
@thisgirlcanambassador
Rocket is just over 2years old and we started our Canicross journey together 14 months ago with a Pooch to 5k (as I like to call it ... ha ha) with run walk and building up his stamina. I had found you all at DogFit via a simple google search for kit and I’m so glad I did. I knew Zero about the sport and was able to learn about kit and canicrossing because as you can imagine I had sooo many questions.
Luckily for me, Rocket absolutely loves to run and gets really excited when I get his kit out! From the very first run I have described it as ‘exhilarating’ and I love that we can hit the trails and rivers locally to where we live whenever we want. It’s such beautiful countryside here and so it’s an absolute pleasure to be able to get out into it. It’s been such a huge and enjoyable learning curve but one that is so simple in the respect that ‘it’s just running with your dog’. Rocket has learnt commands and control and I have learnt about Rocket. I’ve never owned a big dog before and was apprehensive to start running with him, but I’ve discovered that it’s safe and has created a wonderful bond of trust and fun for us, and there are just so very many benefits for our health & happiness. What’s not to like!
@tailsofbramblejelly
She turned 1 in November and in late January we got the kit and started our c25K journey together which we are still working on.
We are absolutely hooked and even on holiday we couldn’t canicross but we did some off lead running together on the beaches of the outer Hebrides.
My favourite was running through the water with her at sunset.
@bradleyandpatrick
New to Canicross but not running. I’ve completed many distances and I’m currently training for my 1st marathon - virtual London Marathon in October.
We got our spaniel puppy Patrick because we lost our young chocolate Labrador very suddenly last year in lockdown.it was a very difficult time.
One thing that kept me going was waiting for our cheeky and full of life spaniel to be old enough to run with and start a new adventure along side my running.
We live in north Lincolnshire countryside and have access to woodlands behind our home and we can’t wait to join our local social canicross runs.
@rikerandflynn
Riker and I started our canicross journey with a cheap waistbelt and bungee line, excitedly bought from ebay as soon as the vet said Riker could start running at 12 months. We did a few parkruns before lockdown hit, but the cheap kit meant I had no control and Riker could drag me in whatever direction he chose while we were out. I hated it and ended up hating running with him. Once Riker turned 2 years old, he really seemed to settle down so I decided to buy a dogfitUK starter kit and try again. It changed our runs together - I have lower back support and I can control his running more. Riker and I jeff our runs - 30 second run, 30 second walk, and repeat. I'm a slow runner and he's a fast runner, so this gives me a chance to catch my breath. We're planning to enter our first races together later this year and I'm so excited to see how my boy does!
@explorewithpaws.uk
I’m Beth and I started running while at university as a stress relief. As soon as I graduated, I rescued my first dog Neville, a Romanian rescue. Neville ran/walked parkrun on his first day home! He was so unsure of everything but running together and running parkrun has really helped his confidence. He helped me train for a couple of road half marathons but is now retired and living a life of luxury.
When I got Luna, the Springer Spaniel, I wanted to be able to run with her too, but her strong pulling meant I couldn't run with her using the hands-free waist lead without really hurting my back. After a Google, I found DogFit and Canicross! I found the correct kit and haven't looked back! I’ve joined our local Canicross social group and have made some great friends through Canicross. Last year we trained for our first Canicross 10km together and smashed our PB. Now we have welcomed Lilly the Sprointer (Springer Spaniel cross German Shorthaired Pointer) into the family, and I can tell she’s going to be an amazing Canicrosser. Luna and me are currently training for our first trail Canicross half marathon in January 2024!
@Bertie_the_springador
Bertie is a two-year old Springador with bundles of energy. We live in Dorset and love exploring the countryside.
I began Canicross after watching a Running Channel video and fell in love with it immediately. It's a great way to bond with your best friend and motivates me to keep running!
We've completed the couch to 5k and have just started entering some local races ❤️ Excited to see where it takes us next!
@thelazylurchers
Hi I’m Kerry and these are my two lurchers Willow and Hazel.My journey first started with Willow nearly three years ago we started off doing short runs together with friends. We then entered our first race together which was a 10k from then on we were hooked and last year competed in our first half marathon together.Then Hazel joined us she started her canicross journey at the end of last year just after she turned 1 and I found out she was a little rocket and lived for running I entered her into our first race earlier this year it was tough keeping up with her but we loved running together, speed was a whole new hurdle for me to overcome. As running with Hazel is a totally different experience to running with Willow.Now me and Willow do long distance running together working on our endurance and me and Hazel do the short sharp routes together trying to work on our speed so I have the best of both worlds with the pair of them.We did the Cani-trail Mountain challenge in May in South Wales which was different and fun and now our next challenge is the TSB in France this month. We aren’t the fastest but we will give it a good go and enjoy the experience of something new.
@rubytuesday_thehwv
It’s easy to fall in love with Canicross!
I started running 4 yrs ago, after always saying I wasn’t a natural runner. Then, along came Ruby. When she reached 18 months I contacted DogFit & my journey started. I had a fabulous 1-2-1 with DF Trainer Cat Everard, who introduced me to everything & we’ve not looked back!
I purchased my kit that same day through Dogfit and their knowledge & sizing for my dog was spot on. It’s so inspiring to complete the monthly charity challenges, it gives us something to work towards and something to give back 🧡.
At 48 yrs old, my journey is just starting & I can’t wait to see where it takes us.
My aim is for Ruby & myself to run an Ultra in the next year! It’s so much fun & challenging too and a subtle way to get fit whilst having a good time. We love the DogFit family, we’re proud to be part of it as ambassadors.
@the_journey_of_jinx
As someone who loves the outdoors and runs to socialise and let off steam. I chose Jinx (patterjack x border terrier) last year as I wanted a dog who was full of character, tough, stubborn and could join me on my adventures. Jinx and I have been running together since May and we started our Canicross adventure with a DogFit taster session with the lovely Michelle and Poppy.
Since then we have been working our way through the DogFit Coach 2 5K. Canicross allows use to work as a team to explore the trails of Manchester.
@maddog_canicross
Ralph is a 4 year old Patterdale x JRT and we've been regularly running together for around 1 year. He’s a happy little chap but when that harness goes on, he’s ready. I decided to get back into running for my own physical and mental health but I'd struggled with the stresses of life, running my own business and a young child. When we came across Canicross, this was the answer to everything we needed, getting Ralph and I out together. We struggled for around 10 months not really getting out consistently and if we did we just weren’t very good. I started to think perhaps it just wasn't going to be for us. After stumbling across a local trail running group we now happily get out once a week for a social 5k rain or shine (and snow). I love the bond Ralph and I have when we're out running, I love getting out in the beautiful area of Cannock Chase and I love the positive effect it has on our physical and mental health. We realised Canicross is absolutely for us, we just needed the support of our friends!
@mybordercollie_millie
Hello, I’m Elise and this is my Border Collie, Millie. There really isn’t much I do without her, we are a team! We enjoy long walks and hikes but we are totally new to Canicross. My level of fitness is probably below zero and since lockdown the extra pounds keep adding on – it really is time to get into shape but also have some fun in the process! I’ve thought about starting Canicross for a while but had no idea where to start. After speaking to a few friends and a lot of help from the DogFit website, we recently joined a Canicross club in our area.
Our Canicross journey now begins and we are so excited to share our progress with you!
@petalpawsdaisy
Hi, we are Daisy and Pepper!
I have been running for over a decade, mainly long-distance trails and club running events. However, 6 years ago I started to suffer from debilitating panic attacks during runs. After numerous tests for asthma, cardiac issues and thyroid disorders I was eventually diagnosed with exercise induced panic attacks due to stress and putting too much pressure on myself. I didn’t run properly again until I got Pepper in 2020 as a puppy. We started running together in 2023, starting off by jogging every lunch break for 20 mins to get some fresh air and stave off the mid-afternoon slump. I discovered there was something different about running with Pepper. Not only is she great company, but I didn’t feel so alone on my runs, she distracted me from my anxiety and I felt ‘looked after’ by her. We have been following Dogfit for a while and have been listening to the podcasts and exploring the events page. We love exploring the trails and have some events in the pipeline!
We are so excited to start this new journey together with Dogfit.
@jess._in._boots
Hi, I'm Jess, and I run (in pairs) with my girls, Lunar, Summer, Nancy and Ethel. I'd been looking for something we could do together that would be both confidence boosting and expel some of those crazy lurcher beans. With the added bonus of helping me get fit!
We finally took the plunge into canicross earlier this year with the Dogfit C25K and competing in our first 5k event just after Easter, which really got us hooked! And we're now working toward our first 10k in October!
@baiandblue
Our first Ambassadors Bai and Blue, who have been with us right from our launch in 2015.
Bai the gorgeous GSP and cheeky whippet Blue. They love Canicrossing with their owner @alexiabooker and have always been incredibly supportive of DogFit.
@trigsandtroughs
Hey I’m Shelley and this is the gorgeous Henry J.
Henry’s start in life had a little blip and he joined our family when he was 14 months old, hes been with us for 6 months now and has made some really positive steps forward.
My partner and I are both very keen long distance runners and having lost our running cockerpoo after a short illness the doggie shaped gap in our world had to be filled with another active breed and what better than a Working Cocker Spaniel!
Henry is extremely excitable all the time and no amount of running or exercise appears to tire him! I wish I had the same ability as him when it comes to his power naps they really do work wonders.
Now with him being so excited I needed to introduce him to running safely so we kitted ourselves out with the Dogfit starter kit and from that point on our Canicross journey has began, we are at the very beginning but I hope to get Henry by my side for all our runs in the future!
@cani_hollie
My Canicross journey started when I had seen how much fun my wife was having with Riker without me 😂
I had never been interested in running at all but seeing how much they both enjoyed it, it peaked my interest and I finally bit the bullet and had my first run with Riker attached and I loved it!
Obviously with Cat having Riker as a running partner I needed one and then came Flynn. The power rocket.
I love spending my days Canicrossing or Canihiking with them and we always plan the adventures for the weekends!
@Mandy _Davies_
Hi, I'm Mandy and I have two Belgian Malinois, 8yr old Loki & 4yr old Narla.
I have been running non - competitively for 12yrs & canicrossing since 2018 and we haven't looked back since!
We are not very fast :-) but we love it!
We started our journey taking part in local 5km CaniX events at Pembrey Country Park. This progressed to some 10km trail events and this year are hoping to take part in as many CaniX events around the country as we can. 2023/24 season is likely to be Loki's last year of competitions and we want to make the most of it! Narla will be taking over full time from next season, wish me luck 😂
I have found the bond with my dogs has only got stronger since we started running together and I love how we connect as a team.
DogFit gave us loads of help and advice on choosing the right harness for Loki and kit for myself!
We hope we can inspire other people to take up canicrossing and get fitter together with their dogs 🧡.
@Cani_x_manny
Manny loves to run, everywhere… so rather than struggle with on lead walks, I decided to join him and our canicross journey began!
Starting life as a hunting dog in Spain, Manny arrived in the UK anxious and overwhelmed and canicross has been great for building his confidence, socializing with other dogs, creating positive experiences, and has been part of his behaviour modification program.
Running only comes naturally to one of us! But Manny’s enthusiasm is infectious and together we’ve made lots of new friends, explored new areas, participated in events and even run a half marathon – not bad for someone who’s “not really a runner”!
The bond and trust that we’ve built in each other is truly amazing - he is the best adventure buddy!
