Ziggy and Alan Adventures

24/03/2026

Unfortunately yesterday we had some bad news, which has meant mine & Ziggy's Canicross training has come to a premature end. 🙁🐶🏃🏻‍♂️

After some Xrays were taken yesterday, we've found out that Ziggy has got hip dysplasia in both his legs. 😕

During our last training session a few weeks ago with our behaviourist Alice from she noticed that when Ziggy was running he was bunny hopping almost on his hind legs, and suggested we got him checked over with a physio to find out why. 🤔

I too had noticed during our last training run that he wasn't bearing full weight on his hind right leg, and after 3-4 laps of the field, he pretty much came to a stop and didn't want to run anymore. 😐

We booked the appointment with the physio, who wrote a report for the vets, who then subsequently referred us to Pride Vets in Derby for some scans to be done, and whilst we were sad to have been given the news about his hip dysplasia, we're thankful that we have found out now and not later down the line when things could have been worse. 😕

The vets have said for now Ziggy isn't to do any running around, and any long walks are to be broken up in to chunks so that he can rest, and whilst we're waiting for the full report to be written up, it'll likely be a combination of more physiotherapy and pain relief before there's anything like operations etc. 🤔

It's not the start I thought we'd have for but our adventures will still continue & whatever adjustments we need to make, will be made! 🙂🐶🏞🚗

14/03/2026

Afternoon all! 👋 So there hasn’t been any posts recently of mine & Ziggy’s Canicross training or any adventures, and that’s because our boy’s injured. 🙁🐶

He’s doing fine in himself, but he’s not been baring full weight on his hind right leg. We’ve noticed it at times over recent weeks & months, but when I took Ziggy out for a training run last Tuesday, after a couple of laps of the field, he really wasn’t putting any weight on that leg at all, so we stopped and came home. 😕

We had an appointment with the physio on Monday and she’s confirmed there is an issue with that leg, but without a CT scan, it’s hard to determine exactly what’s going off. So he’s been referred by our vets for one, and now we’ll have to wait and see what’s going off. 🤔

So for the time being, we’ll not be doing any Canicross training until we find out what the issue is. ❌🐶🏃🏻

He’s still good for walks, and having a sniffari on the long line, and whilst he can’t go running, we’ll make sure over the coming weeks he gets some nice walks. 🌳🐶🙂 Plus it’s not long until our holiday too! 🚗

I’ll be sure to share some more photos and videos when we’re out & about. 📸

So for now, there might be more photos of my running solo than running with my buddy. 😩

03/03/2026

It’s been a over a couple of weeks since me & the boy have got out for a proper Canicross training session, because the last couple of weeks of February were just hectic, but given the days are getting that bit longer, we headed out late this afternoon to get some more laps in. 🙂🌳🐶🏃🏻

Overall I think he’s doing really well, but given my opinion will be completely biased 🤣, I’ll let Cristina at tell me how she thinks we’re doing when I send her the footage later in the week. 👍

After a stressful day, it was just good to get out & burn it off! 🥵

25/02/2026

WE HAVE A WEBSITE!! ☺️

It is very much in its infancy, but alongside the updates on social media, here is where you will also be able to discover all that Ziggy and I get up with both our Canicross training and the adventures & travels we will go on. 🚗🌳

I hope in time this page will provide inspiration of different places to go to either alone, with a loved one, friend or with your canine companion. I hope it can also provide a bit of calm to your day, as you take a look at the upcoming photos, videos and blog entries that will follow.

The challenge for me now will be to keep it updated, but it's live and the foundations have been laid, so let's see where this takes us. 🐶🙂

Feel free to visit us at https://ziggyandalanadventures.co.uk

Ziggy is mainly a Labrador/Collie Cross, with a DNA also highlighting some Husky, German Shephard and American Bulldog in his DNA. 

21/02/2026

Well today was Ziggy & I’s first training session in a week, as it’s been quite a hectic one this week with one thing and another. 😒

Unfortunately the field where we train was unbelievably busy, everything from other dog walkers, walkers, a big horse ride that was going off somewhere and even a guy on an e-bike whizzing around! 🙄🤦🏻‍♂️

So unfortunately we only managed to squeeze in the one lap, but once again he did really well. 🐶👍 I just felt bad that we had to cut it short, poor boy! 🙁❌🌳🐶🏃🏻

If anything it means I’m going to have to get back on Google Maps and find a quieter spot for our training. 🤔

It is what it is as they say…

21/02/2026

And here is our second video from our training run on a sunny Saturday morning last week. 🌞🌳🐶🏃🏻

I have been sending the recordings to Cristina, our Canicross trainer, so she can give me feedback as to how we’re doing, and overall she’s been very pleased with our first two training runs. 😊

There’s some areas for me to work on, mainly for when we come across other dog walkers or walkers in general, to help Ziggy remain focused on running and not the distractions around him. 🤔

But overall, so far she’s been very impressed with how we’ve done so far. 👍

For me personally, I know I need to get a lot fitter than I am at present. 🥵

For reasons I might explain one day, my fitness over recent months since I completed the my marathon has dropped significantly, so I’m pretty much back to where I was when I first started training this time last year, but, I know I can get back to where I was, I just need to put in the time and effort. 👍

Anyway, enjoy Episode 2 of Ziggy and Alan Adventures… 🙂

21/02/2026

It’s been quite a hectic last few days since I created this page, but better late than never to share these. 😊👍

So, Ziggy & I’s first adventure is learning Canicross together! 🌳🐶🏃🏻😁

I’ve done quite a bit of running over the last year, even going on to join my local running club KADS & completing my first marathon in October. 🏁🏃🏻

A few weeks ago, my wife Leah & I, booked a few training sessions for Ziggy with our trainer Alice from Education4Paws, to help us with walking him, as he’s at that age where every dog he sees he wants to say “Hello”, and walks were very much us just being pulled around from pillar to post. 😬

Anyway, to cut a long story short, Alice pointed out that we weren’t giving Ziggy enough exercise/mental stimulation, and recommended that Canicross could be a good thing for us to learn together and to help him burn off that energy/stress & excitement.🤔

I did some looking online, and came across a local trainer for Canicross called Cristina from Run with K9’s, and booked a 1:2:1 training session a fortnight ago, and from there, Ziggy & I have loved it & started to learn how to do Canicross. 😊🌳🐶🏃🏻

So, I thought as a starting point for this little project of mine, it would be nice to share our training experiences and record our journey together as we continue to learn and run together! 📽️😃

So enjoy Episode 1 of Ziggy and Alan Adventures… 🙂

16/02/2026

Welcome to Ziggy and Alan Adventures! 🙂🐶

At present, this is a little project/hobbie I’m working on in my spare time, to share the adventures and journeys my dog Ziggy & I will take together. 🚗🌳🐶🏃🏻

All I hope is that you enjoy the videos & photographs I’ll share along the way… 😊