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Many canines are fortunate to receive some much needed time outdoors, playing fetch or running alongside their master. Even in the city, dog owners take their four-legged friends to an area park or dog run for exercise and a breath of fresh air. But what about their counterparts stuck in a shelter while waiting to find their forever home? That’s where the Monster Milers come in.
The Bella Vista-based nonprofit teams up with Philly shelters, like PAWS Spay/Neuter and Wellness Clinic, 2900 Grays Ferry Ave., and trains volunteers to take yet-to-be-adopted dogs out for runs on designated routes.
“[The dogs] get to release some of that pent-up energy. It eases their stress levels, which means they are more calm when a potential adopter comes to meet them. It’s a win-win,” Maria Hooper, a volunteer who works primarily out of the Grays Ferry location, said.
The resident of 12th and Dickinson streets will lead a group run from the clinic, which generally holds a similar trek the third Saturday of each month, at 11 a.m. Aug. 17. The experience offers potential volunteers a glimpse of what is expected before they commit to taking an orientation and come in for at least two monthly runs.
Hooper, one of hundreds of trained volunteers, first heard about the Milers a few years ago, when they were operating only out of the PAWS Adoption Center in Old City.
“At the time, joining the organization wouldn’t have worked with my schedule,” Hooper said. “Then last spring a friend of mine mentioned she was going to a Milers’ orientation at the Grays Ferry PAWS clinic, which reignited my interest.”
The Milers take out for runs dogs who are being taken care of at the PAWS Clinic; this allows pooches a “great outlet for energy,” according to Melissa Levy, PAWS executive director, said.
“It helps present [the dogs] better to potential adopters,” she said. “It lets their personalities shine through.”
For Hooper, connecting with the dogs is one of the most important aspects of being a Miler.
“I love meeting new dogs and reconnecting with those who have unfortunately already been stuck in the shelter a few weeks or longer,” she said. “You learn their lovable personalities and goofy quirks, and get to see their strengths and progress in training.”
Levy agrees that working with Milers allows the dogs to connect with runners and helps with their promotion through “the social circles that members of the Milers belong to, which ultimately helps PAWS rescue more dogs and allows them to move through the system faster.”
Hooper adopted her dog, Chego, a 40-pound pitbull mix, from the city shelter, Animal Care & Control Team of Philadelphia, from which PAWS rescues animals, too.
“Chego enjoys a short jog now and then, but when he’s not up for a run I always know there are others waiting at the shelter,” she said. “Additionally, I have run into four or five former Miler dogs who have been adopted from PAWS. I’ve caught a few owners off guard when I announce that I know their dog, but they like to hear that their dog was well-loved even when it was in the shelter.”
The Milers are a branch of the Monster Minders, 916 League St., an award-winning company that provides dog-walking and sitting services through Carrie Maria and her husband, Lindsay, who launched it in 2005. Its services caught much attention from the community, leading to national regard, which then skyrocketed the program’s visibility, securing a Best of Philly for Urban Pet Sitting a year later.
“We were pretty gobsmacked by it,” Maria said.
She founded the Milers in 2010 to allow excitable dogs from PAWS’ adoption program to show their true colors, and for adopters to get a better feel for the dogs’ genuine identity.
Volunteer Kelsey Gibbons adopted a high-energy dog, but as her pet got older and calmed down, she wanted to continue to run with pooches to stay motivated as she trained for a marathon.
“They’re very reliable running partners,” Gibbons said.
Growing up with the lively breed of cocker spaniels, she has always been a dog lover and found joining the Milers a natural choice.
“The best thing about working with the Milers is learning more about different breeds of dogs and giving back to the community,” the Fairmount resident, who lived at 26th and Catharine streets when she began volunteering more than a year ago, said.
Another helper, West Philly’s Rebecca Baranowski, learned of the program through a newspaper article.
“I’ve been a runner for a long time and thought this would be a way to get out an extra day during the week and run,” she said.
She recalled a time she went to the shelter to take a dog out for a run, but found only two Chihuahuas there.
“They’re not exactly the best for running,” she said.
And from time to time, the canine is not cooperative during a long-distance outing.
“Sometimes you’ll go half a mile or a mile and the dog will decide, ‘I’m done,’” she said with a laugh.
The next big event on the horizon for the Milers is their first 5K run. The Rescue Run 5K will benefit them and promote rescue and adoption at the Navy Yard, 4747 S. Broad St., 10 a.m. Sept. 29. After the race, there will be a Rescue Rally featuring adoptable pets and food vendors.
“Everybody’s looking forward to that,” Baranowski said.
Even when it’s just a volunteer-and-dog duo running in the neighborhoods surrounding the clinic, onlookers react.
“Every time I’m out running with a dog in their orange ‘Adopt Me’ vest, I’m always struck by how many smiles we get from passers-by — people in their cars or out on a walk,” Hooper said. “They often stop to pet the dog and to ask where they can get more information on adoptable dogs.”
The Milers hope to expand the program to other cities so shelter dogs everywhere can get the exercise and love that they want and need.
“We love working with the Milers,” Levy said. “We hope to work with them for years to come.”
Contact the South Philly Review at editor@southphillyreview.com.
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