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COLUMBIA, MO. -- The recent nice weather has many people going outdoors and doing more exercise.

The Central Missouri Humane Society has an outdoor activity that helps both man and beast.

It is the fourth year for the “Walk A Hound, Lose A Pound” program. The Central Missouri Humane Society, the University of Missouri Vet School’s Research Center for Human Animal Interaction and the Columbia Parks and Recreation Department work together by bringing together dogs and walkers. Volunteers walk shelter dogs on a trail near the Humane Society headquarters on Saturday mornings.

“We found that in the past and the three years that we’ve been doing this so far, people, by doing this activity, realize they can do more exercises than they actually do," Program Organizer Dr. Rebecca Johnson said. "They have significantly improved their exercise just by being involved in the program.”

Volunteers and their dogs spend between an hour to three hours walking on Columbia’s Big Bear Nature Trail.

The program is called “Walk A Hound, Lose A Pound”, but humans are not the only ones who benefit. Dogs need exercise just like people do. Rather than being in a cage all day long, these dogs get to move around in the fresh air and develop their social skills.

“The animals are little bit more calm,"  Central Missouri Humane Society Director Dr. Alan Allert said. "In the afternoon, they show better. People are more likely to adopt them. They do learn how to walk on a leash. They do learn to get along with other animals better.”

So instead of going to the gym, why not take a walk with a dog? Organizers ask for a $10 donation to join the program for a 4 week session.

This year’s “Walk A Hound, Lose A Pound” program starts Saturday, April 3, and continues on every Saturday between now and the end of October.

For more information, click on the link below.