To preserve both their physical and mental well-being, dogs need exercise and enrichment in their daily routine—lots of it.
That’s why a marine and volunteer dog trainer from North Carolina went to a shelter full of dogs that nobody wanted and decided to take all the pups for a good run, with the aim of showing people “who these dogs could be.” Saying that the dogs loved it would be an understatement.
In a viral clip he shared on TikTok last Thursday under the username forthedogs_, Wesley Swainston, an active duty United States Marine Corps officer, can be seen turning up at the shelter in Jacksonville, ready to take out the dogs who already know him and can’t contain their happiness at seeing him.
A caption shared with the viral post reads: “Come run with shelter dogs none wants to adopt. Running With Shelter Dogs! Would you adopt them??”
@forthedogs_
Swainston, whose dog running videos are also viral on Instagram under the same username, told Newsweek: “I love running and I volunteer at my shelter every day after work. I’m an active duty USMC Officer. When I get out in a year, I will be a traveling trainer!
“I train dogs at Adoption First Jacksonville NC. My mission as a volunteer trainer is not to ‘train’ the dog but to show people who their dog COULD be. People don’t understand that a shelter employee’s job isn’t to exercise the dogs. That’s where volunteers come in. Dogs are meant to run and move, it truly makes a difference in their lives and it makes it way easier for me to train them and work with them.”
Swainston said that running with shelter dogs is a movement and that the running community is strong and inclusive.
“Why not get some miles in that also changes lives? It’s a blast! If my videos go viral usually the dog doesn’t struggle with adoption!”
Featured in the running videos are Cindy the hound and Hondo the Aussie who are on adoption trials right now. The ones that still have seen no interest are Pixie the mutt and Rooster the Aussie.
While the amount of exercise a dog needs in a day varies based on the pup’s age, breed and health conditions, among other factors, The Dog Clinic’s general guidelines suggest that a dog should spend at least 30 minutes to 2 hours exercising each day.
However, not all the exercise needs to be done in one go the website explains it’s even better if split into several sessions to avoid over-tiredness.
Each year 6.3 million pets enter U.S. shelters, an average of 17,260 a day, according to the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals. The number of dogs and cats taken in by pet shelters hit 46,807 during January 2023, an increase of 1,744 compared with January 2022, the 24Pet ‘Shelter Watch Report’ found.
Around 920,000 surrendered animals are euthanized every year. Shelters are striving to minimize euthanasia rates by promoting adoption campaigns, spaying and neutering programs, and behavior rehabilitation.
The video quickly went viral on social media, getting viewers from across TikTok. It has so far received over 2 million views and 266,200 likes on the platform.
Do you have funny and adorable videos or pictures of your pet you want to share? Send them to [email protected] with some details about your best friend and they could appear in our Pet of the Week lineup.
Uncommon Knowledge
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
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