Happy tails in Nova Scotia as portable dog gym hits the road

Waggin’ Wheels is a mobile gym that helps dogs get some steps in.

Waggin’ Wheels is a new dog gym that’s hitting the road in Nova Scotia.

Spencer Fry started the gym, which allows dogs to run on treadmills for 20 minutes a day to increase health and happiness, after doing research on the success of similar businesses in the southern United States.

Down south they need these types of gyms because of the extreme heat, while Fry said the opposite issue is true in Nova Scotia.

“I really started doing research into how beneficial this is for dogs and how many dogs actually don’t get to run,” Fry said. “And just the impact that being even slightly overweight has an impact on dogs’ lives. So I started looking into it, made a lot of sense and thought it’d be a lot of fun.”

Fry began running dogs a month ago for free trials and to see if there was need in the community.

He has found rescue dogs seem to be his main clientele because they require more isolation than other dogs, given their backgrounds.

“But ultimately, zero risk of dog altercations,” Fry said. “If you have rely on dog parks or something like that, there is zero risk of that. And then also a lower risk of catching any kind of dog diseases.”

For Nicole Basque, her dog Bruce was skeptical at first, but has become an enthusiastic member.

“He is a bit timid. I kind of expressed to Spencer that if we even get him in this van the first time around, it would be a miracle,” Basque laughed. “After a couple times, he was running full tilt, and now he just shakes with excitement for his appointment every Monday.”

Basque works from home, but even long walks don’t give her energetic golden retriever enough of a workout.

“I get him out for lots of walks. He can have a little run at the park, but it’s nothing to the extent of really flexing his legs and getting that ability to truly run as fast as he can,” she said. “I hope it helps with his longevity of life and, you know, joints in the long run.

“It’s also a nice, controlled environment. We’re going into tick season, things like that. We started right after that ice storm, which I was very thankful to be able to get him to have that exercise. And he’s nice and tired after, so it’s great.”

Fry said two extra 20-minute runs a week can increase lifespans and reduce weight.

“Taking your dog for five-to-10-kilometre walks or whatever else, this is done in a fraction of the time,” he said. “Twenty minutes for the average dog once or twice a week with other exercise like walks, taking to the park, that kind of stuff. It’s always needed.”

He also plans to help foster parents run their dogs and grow the give back portion of his business.

Fry hopes to grow the business to a second van and even get a static space for people to bring their dogs on weekends.

“People love their dogs and just with life and how life is now being super busy, not everyone gets to exercise a dog or has the capacity to do so, but they still want their dogs,” said Fry.

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