Dogs, owners run in race held by veterinary students

While Bex Weaver crossed the finish line breathless and flushed, her dog Titus rushed through it with a wagging tail.

“I was holding the leash, but he was pulling me the whole race,” Weaver, 25, said. “He loves running.”

Weaver, a UF veterinary fourth-year, and Titus, a 2-year-old brown cattle dog mix with a black spot around his right eye, won first in his weight division at the 5K at the 36th annual Dog Days Run, held by UF’s chapter of the Student American Veterinary Medical Association.

The race, which included a 5K and a 1-mile fun run, attracted more than 200 people — about 100 more than last year — at 8 a.m. Saturday at the Westside Recreation Center, located at 1001 NW 34th St.

For the 5K, event organizers gave out prizes for first male, first female, first dog over 45 pounds and first dog under 45 pounds. For the fun run, they recognized the slowest dog, smallest dog, biggest dog, dog most likely to pull owner and best costume.

Colton Doll, the race director, said attendees fundraised about $4,000 for Josh & Friends, an organization that comforts kids in hospitals by giving them books that feature Josh, a sick puppy who visits the veterinary office.

Doll, a UF veterinary second-year, said a team of 15 people have been organizing the event since March. He said it’s a tradition among veterinary students.

“It’s a good time for everyone,” the 28-year-old said. “It’s a casual event so you’ll get happier people, because they’re not too concerned to win.”

As songs like “The Dog Song” by Nellie McKay roared through the speakers, dogs and their owners sauntered around, some wearing Halloween costumes.

A pair of runners wore red shorts and white shirts that read “Lifeguard,” and their dog was dressed as a shark, with a cardboard dorsal fin. One man dressed as a jailer brought his dog dressed as a police officer, while another woman matched with her dog in bright yellow tutus and striped shirts, resembling bumblebees.

Katie Graves, a Gainesville resident, and Taylor Scheffing, a UF alumna, both attended the race with their dogs dressed as loofahs. Penny Lane, a 2-year-old white mix hound, and Lincoln, a 1-year-old black lab, ran with bright-colored pink-and-blue mesh surrounding them. It took their owners, who were themselves dressed as rubber ducks, three hours the previous night to create the costumes.

“I don’t typically like waking up at 6 a.m. on a Saturday, but if I’m going to dress my dog as a loofah, I’ll get behind that,” Graves said.