About
823, that's the number of dogs I've ran into ever since I started counting . It was a very strong start: good weather after weeks of rains, everybody and their dogs were out for a walk in parks and along the Fraser River, so I counted 72 dogs. It stayed a record for a while until it was completely destroyed.
I've been running for almost two decades now, on and off. I ran a couple of organized 10Ks and half-marathons, but this year I started training for my first marathon. The training is a big commitment: homework runs during the week and long runs on Saturdays with my friends at the running club. As a result, I decided to make it a bit more fun by counting the dogs I see during my runs.
FAQ
What are the rules?
It started with a very strict set of rules that I set for myself, but I've loosened them up a little since then. The short version is that if I don't have to squint to make sure it's a dog, it counts. I try to count when I pass the dogs, mostly because I don't want to have to remember that I've already counted the dog ahead of me. I'm training for a marathon I can only spend so much of my energy on my brain.
The most important part is: nobody cares. I don't expect the dog counting police to show up and fine me if I count a dog twice, mistake a small human from far away for a dog, or count a dog that was actually a really big cat.
How did you think of this?
I didn't! This isn't my idea. I ran into this TikTok a while ago and I loved the idea. The author name is Kelly Roberts and she provides a lots of good tips on running.
I'm also a volunteer at our local farmer's market where one of tasks involves counting people every now and then, so I remembered it. One day, my wonderful partner came home with a counter and... the rest is history?
Can I do it too?
Of course! This website is open-source, feel free to grab the code and make it your own. If you're not a technical person and need some help, send me an email and I'll do my best to help.
I have more questions!
Cool. Send me an email!
