KILBARCHAN athlete Jemma Reekie is leading the way in a nationwide campaign to encourage dog owners to keep their four-legged friends active.
Rising star Jemma, who claimed 800m and 1,500m gold at last year’s European Under-23 Championships, is the proud owner of Chihuahua cross-breed Dollie.
Now she has teamed up with fellow British athletes Laura Muir and Lauren Steadman to launch the Wagletics initiative.
Run by vet joint supplement brand YuMOVE, it aims to inspire pet owners to keep their pooches active for life at a time when the coronavirus pandemic has led to a large rise in the number of people buying a dog.
Jemma, 22, regularly takes Dollie with her on training runs, along with flat-mate Laura, who is a two-time European champion.
“As a dog owner, I know how much people cherish their pets and want to do the best they can for them,” said Jemma.
“With the Wagletics campaign, we’re going to remind dog owners how much fun different exercises can be for them and their dogs and the benefit to their long-term health and mobility.”
Laura, who is a fully-qualified vet, has created a series of online exercise tutorials for dogs of all ages.
Routines focus on mobility, strength and discipline and include a doggy agility course and obedience challenges.
All of the playful and easy-to-do routines can be performed at home with minimal or no props.
As part of the Wagletics campaign, Jemma, Laura and Paralympics medallist Lauren are also posting special dog-inspired content on their own Instagram channels.
Middle-distance ace Jemma is using her training runs with Dollie as part of her build-up to next summer’s rescheduled Tokyo Olympics.
The Games had been due to get underway last month but were postponed for a year as a result of the Covid pandemic.
Jemma admits having to put her Olympic dream on hold isn’t ideal but she is looking forward to competing in Tokyo next summer.
She said: “Obviously there was some disappointment but I’ll just use it as a bonus year to work as hard as I can until next year.”
To join in the Wagletics fun, follow YuMOVE on social media.
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