Lanarkshire dog lover has sights set on CaniCross World Championships

Hazel Steen, who works for Clyde Vet Group in Lanark, which is part of the VetPartners group of practices, competes in CaniCross competitions with her dogs Piper and Merlin and last year was ranked 14th in Great Britain. Later this year, she’s hoping to fly the flag for Great Britain by competing in the World Championships in the Czech Republic.

Hazel is a veterinary nursing assistant with the equine team at Clyde Vet Group but as well as caring for horses she has a lifelong love of dogs.

CaniCross is a cross-country running event where the runner is attached to their dog via a harness and the dog helps pull them along. It began as a way to train sled dogs when there was no snow but quickly become a sport in its own right and is popular in the UK and Europe.

Hazel has been a CaniCross fan for five years and during the competition season, which runs from September to April, she travels all over the UK every weekend with six-year-old Dalmation Piper and 20-month-old Pointer Merlin.

Competitions are held over a distance of 5K and the aim is to complete the course in the quickest time. Hazel, running with Merlin, achieved a personal best time of 19.03 minutes in January at an event in Thetford, Norfolk.

Hazel said: “CaniCross is such a fun sport to be involved in and it’s a great way to see beautiful countryside, get some exercise and enjoy spending time with your dog. Not all races are for athletes and you can go at your own pace or run over shorter courses, so it’s something everyone can join in.

“I try to be as competitive as possible and improve my time when I run and I’ll walk each route carefully before a race to assess the ground conditions and look out for hazards such as low branches. Courses might take you through forest tracks or over hilly terrain and some are more technical than others with logs and other obstacles to negotiate.

“We’re not yet at the level where we’ll achieve a podium finish, but for me it’s all about being with my dogs and building a partnership with them. I want to feel that I’ve gone out and given it 100% and my dog has had fun, and when you have a good run with your dog there’s no better feeling.

I also enjoy CaniCross because it takes me to lots of different places and there’s a great community of people. I’ve made loads of friends through being involved in the sport.”

When she’s not competing or training, Hazel works as an equine nursing assistant for Clyde Vets in Lanark, where she’s been part of the team for just over four years. Based at the practice’s fully equipped equine hospital, which is one of the largest equine practices in Scotland, her role involves caring for in-patients and assisting vets with lameness examinations, surgeries and dental procedures.

Clyde Vets is supportive of Hazel’s CaniCross activities and has enabled her to take a sabbatical from work in September and October to travel to competitions across Europe, to hopefully include the World Championships in the Czech Republic.

She said: “Taking part in the World Championships would be a dream come true and it has been the focus of this season for me. You can qualify by coming first to third in a race, but you can also qualify by showing commitment and dedication to the sport and achieving a consistent performance throughout the season. This is how we’re hoping to earn our place.

“Merlin is a young dog and he’s proving very enthusiastic and talented, and I’m really excited about what the future holds for us.”

Clyde Vets prides itself on delivering the highest levels of care to pets, horses and livestock across Lanarkshire, Stirlingshire and Perthshire and an excellent service to its clients. It is part of VetPartners, which owns owns some of the UK and Europe’s most respected and trusted veterinary practices and associated animal healthcare businesses.