Dogs At Races: A Debate

In the midst of my Gate River Run excitement, I came across this article in the Florida Times-Union about Gate River Run stories.  After reading about Matthew Miller and his German Shepard, Cripsy, I began to wonder: What is the etiquette for racing with your dog?  Is this a big, fat no-no?

First stop, Runner’s World.  Turns out, Runner’s World has an entire website dedicated to running with your dog: The Dog Run. The site has some great tips and advice for taking your dog on runs with you, and it even includes a dog-friendly race calendar.  It didn’t really give an “official” opinion on running in a normal race with your dog though.

Second stop, Twitter.  I did a quick, informal poll of my fellow runners to see how they felt about dogs at races.  The responses varied:

I’m inclined to agree with Brie.  While I love seeing dogs as spectators at races, I’m not a fan of them IN races.   I didn’t see any dogs running the River Run, but I saw plenty on the side lines.

How do you feel about dogs in races?  Do you think they should be allowed or prohibited?  Do you run with your dog in races?