Sharjah24 – Reuters: With the mountainous landscape as their backdrop, dozens of dog-owners and their pets participated in the UAE's first "canicross" event - an increasingly popular sport that involves running with dogs.
The event brought together over 100 animal lovers and their K9 friends, who were eager for an outdoor adventure. Participants had to run or trek a 6km trail through the mountains of Hatta.
Organiser of the event, Hussain Darwish said his goal is to facilitate more activities for people to do with their dogs. His group - HK9, which he founded in 2015 - runs several outdoor activities for people and their pets in addition to the canicross.
"It's our passion, it's me and my friends, this is what we like doing, we like to see happy people, happy dogs, we want to see people and dogs working together. This is our main objective," said Darwish.
One participant, Lail Backham, said he's been training for the event for weeks.
"This is a great opportunity to come out here to the mountains, be out in nature with a lot of other people who love their dogs, it's a really good turn-out, so it's very exciting," he said.
Winners of the race received trophies, a few months supply of dog food and gift vouchers. But no one left the race empty handed, or empty pawed - all the participants received a bag of treats for their dogs.
For an optimal experience, please
