You don’t have to enter the Kennel Club’s annual Get Fit with Fido contest to reap the health rewards of taking the dog out for regular exercise in the fresh air, but it may help you to keep your resolutions.
Enter the contest and if you and your dog jointly lose the most weight, or one of you individually sheds most pounds by the deadline July 15, you stand to win a range of prizes including a makeover and photo shoot, tickets to Crufts and a £100 discount voucher.
Caroline Kisko, Kennel Club Secretary, said: “Get Fit With Fido was set up to inspire dog owners to find new and different ways to get fit with their dog. Walking your dog or taking up dog sports like agility can really help improve fitness and is a lot more fun than going to the gym.”
Last year’s winner, Lara Robbins, lost an incredible six stone by walking her dogs and taking part in agility. Lara commented: “I entered the Kennel Club’s Get Fit With Fido competition as an incentive to help me lose weight and push me towards my goal.
“Since losing the weight I haven’t had any of the back or ankle problems I had previously been suffering with, and my health has improved dramatically.
“Before losing the weight, I had tried every type of diet with no result. I never did agility competitively before because I couldn’t run fast enough to keep up with my dogs. But once I decided that I needed to lose weight I ramped up my agility training and the weight started to just fall off. Having the dogs has changed my life.”
To find out more about the Get Fit With Fido Challenge, visit www.thekennelclub.org.uk/getfitwithfido.