Is Parkrun BANNING Dogs?
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- čas přidán 31. 03. 2022
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It’s a testament to how good these videos are that I found this really interesting - I don’t own a dog and I’ve not done a Parkrun!😂
😂
@@alboreham388 Because of Mark, I started doing ParkRuns in Feb .... I'm now trawling Amazon/eBay, for a Mutt 🤣🤣🤣
Same! My dog is fat and shit and I don’t run park runs, but still watched
Our handbag sized pooch would need picking up after 1k. Do the rules allow for tethered carrying? 🤪
Priceless! 😂
I do parkrun. And i own a dog. I’ve done a parkrun with my dog. But i wont again because, to be blunt, he was a prick! And although he didnt cause any accidents, im a considerate person and dont want my dog to become a statistic. 10% of worldwide parkrun incidents must be a massive number. If you know your dog is a prick, and you run with that prick, youre a prick. Even if no one trips!
Phil, that’s a fantastically selfless view! Agreed, I’m trying to teach my prick to run with me, but he insists on shaming me for only having two legs, and as such I would never try to go for an organised run with him!
Hahaha Phil & Phil! Brilliantly put
That's a really sensible way of seeing things :) I'd like to eventually someday run with our dog but she only seems to have two modes - on and off; as soon as you take a running step she's off to the races and will strangle herself if allowed (yeah, harness could help obviously but still).
🤣😂
Potentially one of the best comments I have read , sensible and it made me laugh 😂👍
Im a Run Director and watched with interest. Very balanced view and responsible video. Thanks.
Out for a run the other day. Got bit by a dog off the leash. The owner was standing right there. Instead of grabbing the dog and putting it inside, she stood there and explained that he was just a little over excited. This while the boxer ran back and forth across the front lawn and growled at me, I'm bleeding from a bite under the arm and in my side. Two days later, I'm running in a completely different area of town and a pitbull comes running at me. Owner let him out while she was taking out the trash. No leash. Stopped running, because dogs chase things, and yelled at the owner to control her dog. This while she just said, "Oh, he's just curious. He doesn't bite." Like, he doesn't have teeth, or it's jaw is wired shut? All dogs bite, given the right circumstance.
I love dogs, but don't trust owners at all. They all think they know what they are doing, and most of the time they are just lucky. I fully support your certification of demonstration of competence for dogs and their owners. I now carry mace just for unleashed dogs in my town.
“I love dogs, but don't trust owners at all.” 100% true.
I’m a dog owner and that irritates the crap out of me too! My pup is always leashed if other people are around. Those who let their dogs run around like that are irresponsible in every asp3ct. I hope your injuries heal quickly!
You could have ran up to her while waving your fists in a threatening manner and screamed, "It's ok, I'm just a little over excited". See if she just casually laughs it off like she expects you to. :)
@@irfuel this is where the old bluemells, aluminium, full size, frame fitting, bike pumps are very useful. Either for fending off the dog or the owner.
Mark once again steps in with a reasonable perspective on a controversial issue.
This is a really intetesting and considered video. I've actually stopped running at the bushy parkrun because of the huge number of dogs that are on long leads and uncontrolled. It feels that there are more dogs than people. I was almost tripped over on the last run I did when I suddenly found myself with 2 huge dogs, different owners, all chaotically running either side of me. I was pretty terrified and haven't run a parkrun since.
Its the same issue I have with dog owners in general (and im a dog owner) - some of them have zero awareness of the impact they and their animal are having on everyone else. My dog is nuts, loves chasing a ball and gets super excited to see new people so would be a total nightmare for other runners in the parkrun environment, therefore she stays at home. Im not convinced the short handheld lead solves the problem though and I suspect as more people switch to use handheld leads the number of handheld lead accidents will simply replace the number of waistband accidents because the problem really is often the incompetence of the owners.
There’s a whole other 6 days and 23 hours that you can run with your dog, let parkrun be parkrun
It' can t get clearer than that dude.
Great vid as always Mark, i'm not a dog owner and I hate normal dog walkers in the park that don't keep pets under control and you get attached by playful beasts that think getting under feet is fun, so my opinion may be a bit jaded. I have 3 local park runs and only one is really suitable for dogs with wide enough tracks for people to safely pass by. Out of the other two, one has sections of tracks so narrow they wont even let pushchair buggies on the course let alone dogs and the other course regularly has 300 to 400 runners where you do two laps with one section you have two way traffic, dogs and pushchairs just cause too much chaos. I can understand peoples want and excitement to share their fitness time with the special buddy, but they aren't the only runners at the event. Maybe Parkrun can have the course certified safe for dogs and the rule becomes more flexible and other courses that are certified no dogs/pushchairs for safety. opps this is the longest comment i've ever written 😁 keep up the great work.
Great breakdown of this. I wish more people would sit down, have a think, and consider what they're typing before they do it. People love to have something to complain about and go mental about. A rule clarification on dogs at a fun run once a week leaves everyone apoplectic. Selling arms to dodgy people around the world, and they go and vote them in again. There are plenty bigger things to worry about or have their blood pressure raised for. I think it just demonstrates the banality of people's lives and how angry they are about it but choose not to face up to it and make a change, like you have done with yours, but just angry at a global organisation that has done wonders for world health who are simply trying to host a safe event for ALL participants.
I have no issues with runners with dogs, but the last time an ambulance was called to my local parkrun happened right in front of me exactly as you described at about 8 mins in, the dog meandered off to one side, right in front of a quicker runner who was tripped and went face first into tarmac
Finally got around to googling Parkrun and happy to see one scheduled in my city. Ive registered for this Saturday! I’ve found your videos to be a great source of information and tips & tricks. I’ll be going for my 4x4x48 shortly. Wish me luck!
Even on leads runners with dogs have caused me issues. As a faster runner I’ve had ankle burns from long, extendable leads. I don’t want to be a kill joy, but I’d prefer no dogs at all.
Plenty of parkrun courses are out and back. Running back I've had a dog jump at me from the side. Owner had no control. Also, suggesting organizers do some kind of evaluation is silly, yet more work for the volunteers. It's not a simple issue. Like most, I don't mind dogs as long as they're being looked after well. Usually the owner is at fault.
“C trying to do so makes you a dick” laughed so hard at this and it’s spot on!
Congrats on passing 80k subs Mark
I don’t own a dog, don’t run, don’t park run, and have no interest in this topic but I’ve started off my Sunday laughing, so it was worth watching 👍
Every week I see far too many irresponsible dog owners at park run putting other innocent runners at risk of serious injuries.
I would like to see change in rules that makes dog owners start on a separate wave at 9:20am Otherwise just ban dog owners then problem solved!
Btw I love dogs 🐕 🙂
Quite common for dogs to run after me on a run, snapping at my heels or being overly friendly and trying to jump up at me while running. I yell back to the owners to call their dog off but it has no effect even if they bother as they clearly haven't trained it at all. Most of the time they'll just say 'he's just being friendly'. I don't care, all I see is a large mouth with a weapon in it that's doing its best to trip me up or get hit in the head with my knee. If my sister ran up to them with a knife, jumping around in front of their face and I just shouted, "It's ok, she's just a bit excitable" I bet they wouldn't laugh it off either.
I made up a small spray bottle of vinegar but haven't yet used it as I love dogs and it's not their fault but after being bitten 3+ times by 'friendly' dogs during my runs I've had enough of crappy owners which seems to be about 80% of them. Literally yesterday another dog ran alongside and in front of me with the owner shouting after it while the dog completely ignored her, I could tell it was a friendly pup but almost tripped me up.
The Parkrun side of things is a shame as it's a communal event so nice for everyone to enjoy it along with well behaved dogs and owners but I can see how some owners will spoil it for everyone else. Apparently there's a rival Barkrun now which is great as it means the dogs don't have to miss out and all the dog owners can enjoy it too.
Very interesting. As a competent canicrosser I felt the uproar and felt like the fight was mine to fight for fellow canicrossers however, I have only ever attended a few parkrun events, I found them too busy and people got in my way 🤦♀️ there didn't appear to be the same etiquette that you get when you attend proper canicross events. I'm not winning any medals, anything I do is for fun and bond with my dog but it made me realise, Parkrun isn't a canicross event, in fact I even avoid "dog friendly human events" if I don't know how the set up is as it attracts more of the numpties who have caused this rule change in Parkrun.
I own a local canicross club and a month ago I was in conversations with them about us attending in small numbers to local Parkruns but safely and wanted to get everyone involved and not just rock up and cause mayhem. Then this happened. So I think the initial upset on my part came from the annoyance my plans had been ruined, the not knowing why and then the realisation that people like us hadn't caused this and as you say those people will continue to run these parkruns, now, as far as I'm concerned at even more risk.
Either way, I run a very successful club, we have loads of runs that people can attend every day, there's loads of options for different dogs and abilities, spread over 3 counties and run a Canicross C25K course (intro to canicross). So when I sat down and looked at organising all the alternatives to Parkrun that we could do in the area I thought, why?! Actually what we do works well. Mostly because we stick to 4-10 canicrossers maximum, we all look after each other and none of us are under any time pressure.
I think what you suggested about turning up an hour early and assessing someone's run, or even arranging privately with an official run director (perhaps at a cost, its their time after all), show me you can run this course with your dog under control, right there's a certificate, you can run with your dog. I personally think they should move away from dogs altogether. Its a human event, keep it that way unless the runner can prove they are competent running with a dog safely.
Best comment I've read so far. I have a dog and do parkruns, but have never taken my dog to one (I've seen how busy it is, how other dogs are, and I don't think it would work at all). I guess that because parkrun is not meant to be a race, it's meant for the general well-being and fitness or the community they don't want to exclude people from attending, and those with dogs who previously might have taken them out on a Saturday morning are perfect candidates for attending, however I think you're right that parkruns are for people and maybe in some areas you could have canicross parkruns (you probably know better than me whether this is feasible), but otherwise those turning up with a dog on a short handheld lead means they really only want people with dogs who are going to amble around at quite a slow pace, as maybe they cause less accidents, I don't know (because most people are going at walking pace and can avoid any incidents).
Just finishing a 10k training program ahead of Hawkshead 10k next weekend and am going to check out the local park run just to see what I'm capable of over 5k. Largely inspired by your enthusiasm for the events.
I can see the sense in managing dog-related issues - dog are annoying enough when you're out on an easy run and their owners have no control over them. When you have a lot of them in one place with a much denser field of runners I can see why it's an issue.
Even the docile ones seem to have that knack of changing direction just when you think you've given them a wide berth. I always thank the owners who actively control their dogs when they see a runner. No point in cursing at the ones that don't - they don't care and won't change.
As a dog owner and a parkrunner I've never felt the urge to take my dog to the parkrun, it's just asking for trouble, and when I say this 99% of the time she'd be fine, she's well trained, but the fact there will be other dogs there, as well as other distractions (smells, wildlife) that you can never know when they'll appear it's just a risk not worth taking.
I'm not even sure the "turn up 10 minutes before to be certified that you can control your dog works either as it's the unpredictable moments that will cause most of the problems, not the owner's control of the dog or how well the dog is trained. I think the accidents wouldn't go down from this idea, although I kinda like the idea.
If you want to take your dog out at 9am whilst you run then go for it, I've not got a problem with this, you can even do it with friends with dogs or even just feels runners, just don't do it with hundreds of other people and many people with other dogs around, packed closely together at the start. For me I do the parkrun, go home, then take the dog for a walk to warm down. I get that many people have busy lives these days and taking your dog to the parkrun kills two birds with one stone, but I just don't get why.
Actually I have an idea, although you and many others probably wouldn't like it. All people with dogs at parkruns have to start at the back 5 minutes after the people without dogs have, with the possible exception of those who are doing it for leisure, not to get a particularly fast time and will just amble around with friends, that or they have to start with the tail walkers (which might be apt for those with dogs) and are only "released" once the pack thins out enough, which on some cases might be never do for these parkruns you aren't allowed dogs (I think there are some where the landowner doesn't allow dogs and so you can't take them anyway).
I have seen many people with dogs that do seem as aid and are literally pulling them along, maybe this is because I'm around the 20-25 minute pace and as I'm tiring or struggling at parts they consistently come past me. Maybe that's more down to my lack of fitness or going off too fast, or just having a bad day, but even if these dogs are very well behaved and don't get in my way in the whole I'm often concentrating on them and not my running, some have stopped and veered over to the side, their lead going right across my path, and I have to stop to a walk, and go round then before starting to run again.
This is a very well thought-out and measured response, and you've changed my opinion about the rule change.
Very well thought out video & great to see you have taken the time to listen and evaluate, and gave changed your mind but also put your original point across. I personally run parkrun around 20 mins & intend to start running with my dog soon, he's a small shih tzu so I'm under no illusion he'll be 25-30 mins & I'll be more than happy to sit at the back with a handheld with him.
Friggin hilarious man. I’ve got to tell you though, I picture the Geico gecko in my head listening to your voice and it’s even funnier 😂
Great video, thank you. Just a point of clarification - the reason there was no explanation initially was because parkrun sent out a heads-up email to event teams to look out for new guidance being published in the following few days. Some of these event teams then immediately went off the deep end and posted knee jerk angry theories all over the internet rather than actually waiting for the guidance to be published.
"and the human along for the ride" spitting my coffee at the screen laughing.
See image of a person with waving arms screaming in panic disappear somewhere in the trees
I do have a dog. And I do like to canicross.... but I'll go to a canicross with the 4legged rocket , and to parkrun (or equivalent) by myself. Best to keep things separate so everyone knows what their in fore.
Good needed perspective on this issue - So far I've not experienced any problems with dogs in my Parkrun, but I think your perspective is spot on and brings some much needed "bigger picture views" on this topic.
An excellent and well-balanced essay on this issue Mark. Ran my local Parkrun this morning and the dogleadgate boycott made it a remarkably peaceful experience. There were a few Nixons and the odd Lassie behaving very well, but no Huskies or Rottweilers, which was also very nice. All they need to do now is ban Dryrobes and life will be perfect! 😂😂
True ML Gold with such a balanced take on Park Run’s stance. Just hope rippling effects don’t come into being at other events enjoyed by you and Nixon.
I'm the person who set up barkrun U.K., not the guy who was in the various badly reported media articles and I totally agree with what you say. I'm a canicross runner and a dog trainer and behaviourist and my dogs run ahead of me and don't weave about - because they are trained to do so but also because I use the right sort of kit. On the barkrun U.K. page it's been "interesting" to see people posting photos of them running their dogs on long, looping leads that absolutely would trip other runners. Barkrun is a movement to encourage people to run at 8am with their dogs and hopefully we can support people in training their dogs, then we encourage people to run dogless or volunteer at 9am - because the individual parkruns are still great events. Me - well I've re-trained one of my dogs to run to heel on a totally loose lead so I get to do both styles of running for now. Thanks for a moment of sanity!
Thank you for posting this, I hope to check out barkrun when my dog's old enough to canicross. I hope you haven't had too much backlash from the idiot plastering himself and barkrun's name all over hysterical national media articles.
@@lukedaniel7669 absolutely no backlash and indeed over 100 people and dogs barkran last weekend with from what I can see, no adverse effect on anyone.
It makes me want to start a low-key canicross event like "Dogrun". Surely this would take off! They could even offer training on how to teach your dogs to run safely.
There's one already called Bark Run.
Great as always Mark 👌 11.45 until the Crossfit meme though so was a little worried 😂😂
up to last month I had not run since my early 20's (couple of marathons and a sun 18m 5k). Then I stumbled on your channel when researching the Fenix 7x.... (Nice watch, changed my life)
Any way, in 2 weeks I take part in my first park run (Yay, go me...) but this morning (because I am ever so slightly focused and competitive) I have entered a 50k Ultra at the end of the year....
Keep inspiring us for as long as possible Mark.
The “certificate of dog running compliance” would actually open ParkRun up to even more liability. If they “certify” a dog and something bad happens then they are liable because that “certification” puts more responsibility on them instead of the dog or it’s owner.
The bottom line is that running without a dog is safer than running with one. Therefore, for liability reasons ParkRun shouldn’t mess with it at all. That just is the nature of liability for a large company like that.
Hmm, just wondering it this was a joke?? Perhaps we need some sort of certification to write comments?
Also would take ages.
“… Are Nuts!” Fantastic. Fell off my chair. 🤣
What a well-thought-out take on an emotional topic. Wow, I've always wanted to be able to say that about something on CZcams! It's been a long time coming.
Glad I saw this video- I was just about to order a £100 canicross kit to do parkrun with my dog! We do run a bit already(not parkrun) but tend to go for off lead so she can explore surrounding woodland whilst I plod along at half her pace.
I think the rule change makes sense, even if it is a bit disappointing for me personally.
Don't let Parkrun put you off this idea. With the right dog (one willing to run, not just interested in every smell at the side of the path), canicross equipment is absolutely the way to go.
Parkrun can make whatever rule Parkrun wants to make my only decision is whether or not I run under the Parkrun rules. That said, I run with my dog on a leash and my mid-sized dog (Whippet/Lab mix) is wickedly fast and I never have any issues. Why? because my dog is TRAINED to run along side of me at MY pace and not wander about. I do not "hold" the leash I just loop it over my wrist and give the dog enough lead that it does not impact my run form. Not only that but my dog is also TRAINED to respond to specific verbal and non-verbal cues on when to speed up, slow down, stop or draw closer to me. The answer is to TRAIN your dog which, quite frankly, every dog owner should do regardless.
Taking part in a parkrun event assumes you follow the rules set out, otherwise you can GTFO
Great video, well thought out and very funny.
I enjoy all your videos and this has been one of the most common sense comments on the rule changes, the same as you I can understand their reasons for the change. Good luck with the training for Hydrox, its what I would call a "Bread and Butter" fitness event, you just need to give it your best, and it's not technical, so anyone can give it a go.
In my experience 50% dog owners dont care about their dog blocking runners on a path, not talking about parkruns just in general. So many times I had to jump over a smaller dog or run on the road where cars comming because of this. Also I am not blaming the dogs but they seems to like to jump between my legs when I am running or just run across front of me.
Im a dog owner, roadcyclist and runner. There is various perspectives to this, all of which i have. Its annoying when cyclist suddenly appear behind you and you cant hear them coming and suddenly zoom past you at blistering speed while you are running. Its annoying when runners speed past you without any pre warning while you are just walking your dog.... Im also annoyed at ppl not watching their dogs while i speed past them at 35km/h while on my bike. Conclusion: living with other people can be annoying, its simply what happens when you live in a populated area and can only be countered by staying calm and respecting what other intrests and levels of attention tontheir sorroundings might be
@daved3 no, i dont live in a town, i dont walk my dog in city parks, neither do i run there. I wont waste my time either on worrying abou the occasional fatty quietly cruising up on me (mostly like every 20min) getting carried up the hill by his EBike. In that matter, i dont make any diffrence in between children and dog, because both can jump in your way unexpectetly when approaching unseen. That also the reason i why i slow down when approching them. Its called sharing the world with other ppl
@daved3 what i probably havent made clear that if i see someone coming, i make surr my dog is out of the way since im not asshole, but you also cant always be prepared and for others to then get stupidly annoyed is just irritating
Measured and thoughtful. Thank you Mark
Really enjoyed your logic and talk. Very much appreciate your post and insight. Cheers
Talking absolute sense as always Mark, completely agree with everything you said.
This is a really sense-based, reasonable take - thank you for explaining the issues. I love Parkrun, but don't have a dog, and have never had a tangle with a dog, so I was struggling to understand the new rule that the run directors have been talking about. (I have, however, had a glancing blow to the achilles from a nutbag using a pushchair as a battering ram in the congested first 1km, but that's an argument for another day!)
I do kind of want to know what the other 90% of incidents involved, though. Probably just people getting wheezy or tripping over, but I'm fascinated, having never really seen that many issues.
I agree with your thoughts on having a certificate if you can prove that you and the dog are competent with the gear you are using. Keep up the good work love the videos.
I’m a RD for a local Parkrun. I love Parkrun. I have two Beagles. I love my dogs nearly as much as my Parkrun. We face issues as it is from local users of our parks complaining to the council about 200+ runners consuming the paths as it is. Whilst I totally appreciate and understand where you come from, not all runners with dogs are as considerate. And while you seem to indicate that the issue lays with slow middle of the pack runners, I can tell you the most problems we see are fast runners who come to their local event, run a 16min time, blast past people, nearly knocking over other park users, collect their token, get scanned and then bugger off, not stopping to help, volunteer or assist in any way. It’s the same with the dogs, the people who cause the problems are not the slow, middle of the pack runners, it’s the fast runners who use it as a weekly TT.
Great video. No one has yet mentioned the barking, which is my greatest gripe when it comes to dogs at parkrun. Overexcited dogs barking like mad during the RD’s pre run talk so you cannot hear a thing.
Quite fair an balanced approach, with a wife and child that often walk-jog our quite tight parkrun course adding the extra body into the mix can make it quite complicated to get around for those that aren't consistent in pacing...
That combined with the childs distrust of animals in general as we have never had the opportunity to have a pet in our living arrangements
Good video as always. I've never had an issue with the dogs I see at my local parkrun. I do think it's a shame that the corporation has to manage the responsibility of individuals though. Dog owners should shoulder full responsibility for their dogs. Not that it will ever happen though.
This was refreshing to watch. As I always say to people who get mad at parkrun, you can always ask for a refund if you don't like the rules.
I've done approaching 60 Parkruns and have run occasionally with my parents' dog, she is super clever and likes to run. But I knew when i took her to Parkrun in 2021 I made sure to be at the back and out the way. We were never a risk to anyone with her being attached to my waist. I'd definitely feel more at risk with her on a normal lead. Good video.
Brilliant, love it. Especially the NHS doughnut 🍩 😍
I have a similar attitude to rogue dogs and runners/walkers wearing earphones on the trail that prevent me from making good progress on my bike. Although they are a pain, the trail is for all types of use and I like the fact that the (not insignificant) local authority budget that is spent maintaining the trail isn’t being wasted. I ring my bell, which invariably doesn’t get heard, slow down, smile, wave and say good morning, to like minded people who enjoy the fresh air and feel better for it.
Mostly I find it funny that the dog rules now resemble the running with under 12s rules, about them needing to be within arms length
I sometimes run with an u11 and work with him to keep him in arm's length, not easy at a busy mid-pack 32min pace where we have to plan and negotiate how to pass other runners safely but maintaining our proximity to each other until the final straight. We've previously encountered dogs on harnesses with the slack to abruptly swing the width of the path with a 1 metre radius with a trip wire effect, and is more distance than I'm allowed to be away from an 8-9yo who runs 2k junior parkrun solo!
While the flex in the harness system is good for the dog and owner, it's not always possible for other participants to make judgements about keeping space from a dog and their range, while assessing a busy field and managing their own responsibilities within parkrun rules.
At the moment I can't run my young human at 5k because I'm injured and can't keep to his pace to meet parkrun rules. I know he knows certain courses well enough and is capable of doing it himself, but parkrun has rules about arms length for good reason because of all the 4-10yos that aren't competent to go off at their own pace. The conditions of junior parkrun are different and they must be in sight of a marshal/ volunteer at all times which doesn't apply at 5k therefore the rules differ.
Rules have to be best-fit to protect as many participants as possible, and filter out some of the dafter behaviour. Unfortunately you can't police that Nixon up front in sub20 is no issue but Rover swinging around at 32mins is a liability. At ground level it's managed by volunteers giving up 8:30-10am who get enough crazy flack as it is. (Juniors Run Director... does it really matter that the course was 0.02% out by Competitive Dad's Garmin and 6yo Percival's missed his pb by a second? 😂)
Dog's aren't allowed to participate in junior parkrun so there is a precedent for a dog ban within the organisation. It sounds like parkrun have tried to cut a specific dominant hazard while not outright excluding dogs. Maybe being able to drop the lead in an incident results in less serious statistics than having a dog a metre or so away on a trip wire while the owner picks themself up. I have known of a runner need pins in her leg following a dog trip incident and parkrun can't do nothing in the knowledge of a catalogue of such occurences.
My local parkrun has a section that goes through a kids play park area so there's no dogs aloud at my local parkrun, been like that for a few years now.
Totally agree, and good to see someone address an issue from all sides.
Nooo the iconic intro music has changed 😭
Edit: and yes it is definitely iconic
Balanced and accurate! At our local Parkrun, I can count on one hand, maybe one finger consistently, the number of people bringing their dog's, but are completely uncontrolled once the run starts. Every week having an incident, mostly unreported, of tripping runner's including myself, where the extendable lead makes it impossible to avoid! (It was funny when she was dragged into the lake on a hot day). The owner was warned from the multiple incidents, as it was uncontrolled, but it was never her fault, and everyone else's!
It was really as simple as this, it was a big dog and the owner was small. The dog loved swimming, and often just randomly diverted to the lake, but did get scared when a fast runner approached them, again trying to get off the path, the owner not going with the dog. The extendable waist lead became a tripping hazard impossible to avoid, and the owner would not acknowledge the issue.
It's entirely possible the 10% of dog incidents are caused by 1% dog owner's, ruining it for the rest of us! My small dog after training is good on a path with runner's, but chooses to stay behind me and to edge of the path when people with dog's approach, but otherwise run's in front, and can use the short lead, with harness at speed without pulling on the lead at all, and off a lead where allowed with no issue's, but I avoid this. But that took alot of time. She just doesn't have the endurance to do a parkrun at my running pace, and so I don't take her on parkrun run's. I'm not sure what else they could do really, with that very small minority of poor dog owner's, refusing to acknowledge the issue's!
"Have your dog leave a comment"...classic!😂
Reasonable chat, problem is exactly like you said. I run with a border collie that is an excellent runner, he overtakes people well, runs narrow when we are on an out and back to avoid people, runs around 19 minutes regularly, he loves it.
The only problems we have is the slower dogs who decide that when we go past they want to run with us, turn around, run across the path.
I won't be doing Parkrun with my dog, it's crazy to do a fast 5k with a hand held lead.
One of my cousins runs with a huge dog(not On a park run mind you) and has broken bones three times to date due to entanglement. So I can only agree the change is needed as these accidents happen and as they keep international data sets on this if no improvements are made in the rate of harm over the next however many months, I guess they will ban them altogether
Will pushchairs/prams etc be next....? Great content as always. Keep up the good work.
Only if they’re not attached to the owner 🤪
Ps thanks for the vlog. Great as always.
I’ve had multiple incidents with dogs tethered to fast runners waist. It’s an issue when there’s a turn around in the course and a faster runner with doggie runs back towards the slower runners. Too much leash and doggie runs across path and starts tripping people and running head on into little kids sitting in prams.
If you're scared of getting hurt, best not run at all.
Mark, so appreciate your reasoned and rational comments (not just on this, but on your other videos too). As a dog owner and Parkrun RD, I see both sides of this issue.
I can't (and I won't) take my dog along because she's not well enough trained to run beside me. I've tried it a couple of times. It just doesn't work. But have no issues with those people who do bring their dogs along, provided they are under control.
Have often wondered what it would be like to run with a "canine spinnaker". I've had a joke with a few people as they've been "towed" past me.
But as an RD, yes we have had an incident where a faster runner has been lapping a slower runner and the runner has gone right and the dog has gone left and the lead has kept going straight on. Result? Not fun.
Similarly, I'd be just as worried if Phydeaux (posh name for Fido - P.S. not my dog's name) decides to impulsively check out the water dragons on the right side of the path when our 17:30 runner is about to go past on the right hand side.
Love my parkrun. Love the people there. But we still have to ensure the event is as safe as possible for participants (and other people using the park as well).
Specific Park run dog events, do a mandatory dog run training course, Dog is microchiped and all that. All money and certifications go back into running of the clubhouse. Now I just going on a park run with my kangaroo he is certified and has been read the operation process, because he has a habit of getting into a boxing match so we have a race now separate from everyone else in fact we are the only one in the race, he does get an achievement award and a paw shake for staying at the correct speed limit.
I am late to the party and just watching this now. I spit out my iced tea with the comment about the 10 meter extension leash decapitating small children!! That made my day, thank you! 😂😂
I had to stop in full flow not so long ago as a dog completely blocked my path. I was trying to read which direction it was going in but owner wasn't checking dog.
I suppose they could have gone another way and insisted all runners with dogs have public liability insurance. Though that wouldn’t necessarily have cut down the number of injuries which is what they’re trying to achieve. I don’t have a dog, have no gripes with dog owners but to my mind if people want to run with their dogs there are events that are better suited for that.
Very good summary - please expand on the donut waiver 👍
Funny... harsh... true... another good video. Sad to hear about the end of Nixon's Park Run career, though.
If I want to take up a sport with pointless risk, I’ll do CrossFit. Brilliant dig. Love it and give Nixon some love.
I also have never done a park run and have no plans to do so and don’t own a dog and have no plans to do so but very much enjoyed this video. Chapeau sir.
I run with a Canicross set up with my dog all the time and I had just signed up for a barcode a couple of days before this rule change, so I just won’t bother starting Parkrun. I think a better thing would be just to forget about dogs all together. My Collie wouldn’t be safe by my side on a lead, she only comes to my side when we are approaching a road junction, a whole run like that would be hopeless. To be honest, I was surprised that dogs were allowed at all from the start. As you said Mark, looped courses where you come across slower runners with slow dogs by their side are going to be a problem. I wonder is dogs at Parkrun will be a thing of the past sooner rather than later.
Certainly makes sense at my local parkrun. Some of the paths are narrow and I have had dogs on a few occasions on waist harnesses running across the path in front of me nearly causing me to trip. Luckily it didn’t and I am not fast by any means.
The course is also not suitable for push chairs but I have only seen two there and the pushers were far faster than me so not an issue for me.
Great video with well thought out points. I would add though (and you did touch on it), that a handheld lead is probably more dangerous to everyone than a considerate runner with a waist harness.
I tried running with a lead recently, hurt my shoulders and dog was weaving in front of people which I had to apologise for. With the waist lead and harness, he was focused and ran ahead of me, straight. Unfortunately, I doubt I'll run parkrun with him again (Springer spaniel) and it's a shame, especially when my local course is a single loop, spacious and small numbers attending.
It's a shame that it was a blanket ban, could have been course specific as I understand how dogs could be banned altogether on the tighter, well attended parkruns.
Just back from Parkrun.
Run director was just finishing off the pre run waffle and covering the changes to dog run policy..when a last minute runner rocked up, with dog on a waist harness. Perfect timing. Not a word said to him.
He finished top 20
Yeh, I was just thinking about how enforceable this actually is. I guess it depends on those running the parkrun is and their position on the issue. I think it will take time to filter through. Thinking more about this it sounds as though the head of the parkrun team at your parkrun was following the rules, but the volunteers who take the chip and scan your barcode at the end maybe weren't informed as much, or maybe just forgot. I think this will take time to filter through though, and anyway you can't stop those turning up to run as they've always done, they are generally at public parks where dogs are allowed and people can do as they please (within the law of the land, of course). They shouldn't get scanned (or a time) at the end though, but again this will depend on those running the parkrun and the individual volunteers. I think this is just Parkrun covering their backs legally. I don't think they'd have done this without there being a problem that has been highlighted that could impact the organisation that runs them.
As a safety engineer, I felt the urge to pillow scream at the, "it's only 10% of incidents" argument! With that attitude we'd have a lot of blind workshop technicians because, you know, only 10% of incidents involve the eyes, so why make them all wear safety specs?
Oehh another video, awesome!
Just checked my local park run in Richmond Virginia USA. It seems the “new” dog rules have been added.
The legal slap was hilarious
Gotta shut those beaches quicker 😁
Bow, wow wow. Ruff, ruff. Ruff bow wow.
My dog takes exception to your comment about him not being an equal. 🐶😉
Hilarious! Haven’t got a dog and have never done a Parkrun. Totally agree! If the stats say running in a large group of people with a dog tied to your waist often causes accidents! Then maybe it’s a good idea to do something about it…….Excellent channel…..👍
G’day Mark
On a different topic have you got any recommendations on running headphones bone conduction type ? A set that works well with the Fenix 7X
“Some people that are passionate dog owners are nuts” ahahah
Dmitry here (a dog) and I would consider myself above average in quality to most humans.
Dmitry’s owner here. I can’t believe he can type that well.
Definitely think you were right here... There would be virtually zero problems in a one lap course Parkrun but where you have one with multiple loops or where you do a back and forth it can create issues, and then the rules would have to be needlessly complicated and would put more people off running which would be completely against the ethos of Parkrun. Not sure what else they could do as an organisation
100% avid off leash dogrunner who does the occasional Parkrun and LOVES them. A dog on a handheld is way more in tune with its owner, is under way more nuanced control, and is exponentially safer than a waist-leash. And if people want to race qith their dogs, there's canicross and mushing. I don't like too many rules, but this is a logical one. Good video.
I used to run with my miniature horse, always held onto the lead rope. He is about 80cm high at the withers but way heavier than a dog of similar size (he weighs about 120-150 kg), so I wouldn't even dream of using a waist harness, it's just too dangerous. And yes, I did find holding onto a lead rope a bit of a hassle, but it was manageable, at least for the 20-30min runs we went on.
I would love to see you on question time mate.
Clearly this is coming from their insurance company. Too many incidents and falls from litigious people has driven this change.
Can I sue when me and my dog get injured using their unsafe rules?
I've run with someone with a dog (Beautiful Rhodesian ridgeback). When the dog saw a rabbit it went for it causing laughter all around (but yeah dangerous). SO I get it. If you want to run with your dog.. go run somewhere, but not in a park run.
I did not know about the below the waist harness... If we ever get a dog that likes to run I might do that but for now she just looks at me like I'm stupid for even thinking about it.
“If you don’t believe me….have basil type something into the comments”. 😂😂😂😂
Woof, woof, howl - translation I love this comment - signed Mark's dog!
I have run over 50 Parkruns with my dog who is very eager and gives me quite a boost for the first half mile or so with a waist harness (which I have used consistently since discovering it). When I heard of the new rule, I wondered if we could do it. Although my dog was used to pulling me most of the time, she adjusted to running by my side with a few jerks and a "no!" when getting ahead. Our time was slightly slower (20 sec).
I already miss Nixon running park run videos
"Have him type something into the comments" .... that's really excellent.
great video with sensible thought out comments......ive neither been affected by a dog on a course, or even aown a wdog...but if I had been affected by a dog and been badly injured...Im sure I would take actions to ensure I was comensated as required