Photo by Niamh Coomey Around a hundred owners and their dogs gathered around Heritage Port Saturday for the inaugural ‘Rovers on the River’ event as a part of Ogden Wellness Weekend 2025.

WHEELING — ups and their owners took to the Heritage Trail Saturday afternoon for the inaugural Rovers on the River presented by Play N Stay Pet Camp as a part of the Ogden Newspapers Wellness Weekend presented by WVU Medicine.

The approximately 1.5-mile course, put together by Play N Stay Pet Camp, included obstacles and a stretch of walking along the Ohio River. The non-competitive event was created this year to celebrate pets and enjoy the outdoors.

A portion of the proceeds from the event were donated to the Ohio County Animal Shelter.

Owners of all ages and their dogs slowly filed onto a stretch of sidewalk near Heritage Port Saturday morning. Some owners had previously finished the Ogden Newspapers Half Marathon Classic or 5K presented by WVU Medicine Children’s before meeting up with their dogs for Rovers on the River.

Jill Robbins, a local dog trainer, said Wheeling is not always the most dog-friendly city, so it is encouraging to see events that are safe and welcoming for dogs.

Robbins and her dog Ogie, a three-year-old Newfoundland, were excited to be out with other dogs and dog people.

“I like doing things with my dogs. I have three at home but this one is my most athletic and he loves going out and meeting people and doing things,” she said. “If anything, he’s overly friendly.”

She also emphasized that it is important and healthy to provide an opportunity for dogs to get out and socialize beyond the dog park.

“Getting people out in a pet-friendly environment safely is the best thing you can do for your dogs. It’s an awesome experience for them and being safe about it is even better,” she said. “There’s not a ton of fun dog stuff to do in Wheeling besides dog parks, so this is absolutely awesome.”

Terri Sonnefeld said she and her 2-year-old golden retriever Duey walk every day. Sonnefeld said she takes Duey to Play N Stay and Duey completed the course there so Sonnefeld wanted to come out to support them while getting in some exercise outside.

“We saw that they were a sponsor and we’re meeting some friends from my work with their dogs today and we’re all going to take a walk, have some fun,” she said.

Moundsville resident Cindy Norris said she went to the Rails to Trails dog walk in Barnesville and had a good experience and wanted to attend another one with her puppy Kat, who she adopted two weeks ago.

“This is the first one here so we’re going to have another dog walk,” she said.

Norris is still training Kat, who was a ball of energy around so many new dogs.

“She’s used to other dogs but all these other ones, she’s excited now,” Norris said.

Each dog received a medal when they crossed the finish line at Nailer’s Way next to WesBanco Arena.

Robbins said she would love to attend Rovers on the River again next year.