An Olympian champion has urged animal lovers to take to the streets to raise money for the Scottish SPCA.
The charity has a longstanding relationship with the athlete, who is also a qualified vet.
Born in Inverness, Laura Muir made her international debut in the 2011 European Cross-Country Championships, when she was part of the Great Britain junior women’s team that won gold.
Since then, she has won the 1500 metres title at the 2018 European Championships in Berlin – the first British woman ever do so – and took gold in the 3,000 metres at the European Athletics Indoor Championships.
With the SSPCA, she is now helping to launch Pound for Paws, which challenges participants to run a minimum of 30km in 30 days.
Muir said: “I’m honoured to be part of the Scottish SPCA’s Pound for Paws event.
“As a qualified vet, I’m passionate about animals and their welfare so the society has always been very close to my heart.
“This summer I should have been representing Team GB at the Olympic Games in Japan.
“As the games have been postponed until 2021, I’m challenging people to take part in Pound for Paws.
“I’m inviting people at all stages of running, from the complete beginner to the more experienced, to run a minimum of 30km in 30 days.
“I’m going to be helping participants along with the way with tips and encouragement. I’ll also be tracking their progress on our online leaderboard. We’re hoping this will ignite people’s competitive spirit.
“Your dog can get involved too if you regularly run with your pooch. We’d love for some canicross groups to take part. Please do make sure you consult a vet before doing any activity with your pet.”
Since lockdown began, the Scottish SPCA has dealt with more than 10,000 reports of animals in need.
Pound for Paws with Laura Muir will be running for the month of August 2020. To find out more or sign up for the event, please visit www.scottishspca.org/PoundforPaws
The SSPCA has centres in Aberdeenshire, Inverness and Caithness.
