WHAT IS MILES FOR MUTTS?

In Our Hands Rescue is an animal rescue based in New York City which places homeless dogs and cats out of high-kill shelters and into loving homes. It runs through a network of dedicated fosters, who treat the dogs as their own until they are adopted. Our main source of adoption is through adoption events held at various locations throughout the city, where potential adopters can come meet the animals and fill out an application. These events are held Fri-Sun and run between 12 - 7pm in 5-hour increments. 

Ways in which dog running is beneficial to our rescue:

• A lot of times, especially with larger dogs who cannot ride on the subway, we have trouble getting them to adoption events. Dog runners will meet the foster at their home or a mutually convenient location and run the dog to the event and possibly home as well (runner is not required to stay during the event).

• We also have energetic dogs, who struggle to stay cooped up in a cage for 5 hours during the event. Often, potential adopters view these dogs as too energetic and high maintenance, even though this is usually not an accurate representation of what the dogs would be like around their home or apartment. We would like to have runner volunteers work at least part of the time during the event to take the dogs for a short (20min) run in order to get out some energy in a short period of time. 

• Since this is New York City, a lot of dogs who probably would do better in a large house or one with a backyard, are often being fostered in studio apartments, since finding reliable fosters can often be difficult. They often have extra energy andcan overwhelm the foster. As a dog runner, we can set you up with individual fosters to meet with them during the week and run the foster dog around the foster's neighborhood (and beyond!). 

You can volunteer to help out with any or all of these opportunities. 

If you have a certain distance and pace in mind, be aware that this may change. If you are a serious runner and looking to run a certain mileage and pace, it might be best to consider this a warm-up or “easy run”, do not try to force the dog to run at your level. Water is extremely important for dogs during runs, more so than for humans. Please try to carry something to give the dog water in during your run in a running backpack or camelback or incorporate dog parks into your run, which usually have water available. This is especially important for runs lasting longer than 30 minutes. ALSO keep in mind while approaching intersection that while running, the dog will mostly continue to run into the street, it is critical to slow him/her down and shorten the leash before approaching and making sure it is safe to cross. These will also be reviewed during orientation. 

By filling out our application and attending a short orientation, you will be added to our roster of official dog runners. You will also need to send a copy of an official identification to elleninourhands@gmail.com. When we are planning our events, we will contact you based on your location and preferences selected. You are not obligated to attend any events. If we contact you, and you have already made plans, we will try to find someone else on the roster. If you have any further questions or ideas please email elleninourhands@gmail.com.