February 2015 by Rob Hill and Lindsay Marsh

Audience: Executive Leadership, Public, Shelter/Rescue Staff & Volunteers

Video Length: 39 minutes

Learn how a local running group teamed up with a local sportswear store to encourage people to get shelter dogs out on the trail for some fresh air and exercise. The result has seen better-adjusted and healthier dogs who are that much more ready for adoption. The RuffTail Runners program has been written about in Dog Fancy and Runner's World, and was named "Best Fitness Charity" by The Austin Chronicle. This presentation was part of the American Pets Alive! 2015 No-Kill Conference.

About Rob Hill

Rob Hill is a contract and document review attorney in Austin, Texas by day and a dedicated runner by mornings, evenings and weekends. He met Lindsay through Team Spiridon and together they started a meetup for runners interested in improving their workouts and the quality of life of sheltered dogs. In 2010, APA asked Rufftail Runners to help run dogs out of our first facility, on South Lamar, and then fully scaled up when APA! moved to Town Lake Animal Center in 2011. Rob is the Head Coach/Benevolent Dictator of Team Spiridon, Consultant at Austin Marathon and Half Marathon, and Co-Executive Director of Rufftail Runners.

About Lindsay Marsh


Lindsay Marsh has a long history of non-profit leadership, helping the homeless, and an unflinching love for dogs and cardio. She joined forces with Rob Hill for what started as a meetup and evolved into a full scale program focused on improving the quality of life for dogs in a shelter environment. The Austin Pets Alive! facility is nestled on the banks of Ladybird Lake in downtown Austin, and their program gets up to 40 dogs a day out on the trail to enjoy fresh air and exercise. Lindsay is a member of Team Spiridon, Co-Executive Director of Rufftail Runners, and has a special place in her heart for blocky headed dogs, basset hounds and needy orange tabbies.