Activewear juggernaut Outdoor Voices is hosting the biggest Dog Jog yet in Austin on Sunday, November 19 a 9 a.m., benefiting Austin Pets Alive!, and it’s going to be a heck of a day. The casual 5K loop around Lions Municipal Golf Course will include a tailgating brunch, live music by the stellar avant-garde collective Golden Dawn Arkestra, celebrity dog watching, Yappy Hour from Tito’s Vodka and Bell’s Brewery, on-site adoptions from APA! and more at this family-friendly event. All participating joggers will also receive an event tee, bandana, tote, and 15% off in store at Outdoor Voices. 

From now until Wednesday, November 15th at Midnight, enter Do512 into the How did you hear about Dog Jog box in this link to get $35 in Outdoor Voices credit!

If bringing your whole family — especially your pup — out for an active day filled with live music and food that’s all for a great cause doesn’t sound like the most Austin thing ever — than color us Dallas. We decided to pick Outdoor Voices‘ founder Tyler Haney’s mind about OV Dog Jog, why Austin was the perfect place for OV to relocate, having dogs in the office, and more. Read below to see why you’d have The Best Day Ever at OV Dog Jog below.

With Outdoor Voices, we’re building the next great activewear brand. I believe the future of athletics is less about being there first or fastest, and more about being there most frequently. We’re building a global community around inspiring people to participate in daily recreation. Other activewear brands are built around being better, faster, harder, stronger, whereas we’re celebrating activity as something that can be fun, social, and with friends. Think about jogging with a smile on your face. We call it Doing Things.

Where did the idea for the Dog Jog come from?

We asked ourselves “What’s the OV version of a competitive 10k? Something fun, outside with friends, sporty — Dog Jogging was the pretty immediate answer. We really love dogs at OV. 🙂

Have you ever done a Dog Jog in other cities? If so, what made you want to do one in Austin?

We’ve hosted smaller Dog Jogs from our shops in New York City, Dallas, and Austin, and they’re always so much fun. It’s been our dream to host one on a massive scale. Austin is home to our new OV HQ, and the most Recreational city—there are so many people out Doing Things every day. It’s the perfect spot to host our first big OV Dog Jog. Producing an event of this scale is a big undertaking. 

Considering OV is an outdoor sportswear/apparel company (not an event production company), why is the Dog Jog such an important initiative to you and the OV brand?

You’re right! We are a product company. And the awesome part about making activewear is that it’s all about bringing that product to life. OV’s mission is to bring people together around activity, and the events we host across the country are our way of meeting people and ‘Doing Things’ together. We try not to take ourselves, or activity, too seriously—above all else, it should be fun. We’re working with some great production partners to help make our vision come to life.

I’m not much of a runner and I’ve never done a 5k. Do I have to be a hardcore athlete to participate in The Dog Jog?

Not at all! The OV Dog Jog is for the fun of it. The course is shaped like an 8, so the start and finish are both also at the halfway point, which makes it easy to peel off and take a break. Walking is also totally acceptable.

Austin Pets Alive! is a well-loved organization here in Austin. How did you pick them to be the beneficiary?

APA! is best in class, and we’re big supporters of the work they’re doing leading the no-kill movement in Austin. A few members of our team have adopted from APA!, and a few others volunteer. We couldn’t be more excited about having them as a partner for this event—and for the opportunity to help support their mission.

Do dogs and kids get in free with the purchase of a ticket?

Yes! Kids under 12 and pups can participate for free (though one pup per person, please!).

Tell us about some of the “celebrity dogs” who will be in attendance.

Our team is pretty starstruck already—@samsonthedood will be there, @poochofnyc and @littlefreddietinkles are flying in from New York. @weratedogs will also be onsite giving some love to the pups in the field, so there’s a chance your dog can be the next superstar.

The Dog Jog is taking place on a golf course. What are some of the surprises in store at the different holes?

If I told you they wouldn’t be a surprise! But there will be fun things around every corner.

Will you and Bowie be participating? Is Bowie your favorite partner for #doingthings?

This event was Bowie’s idea, so I think he’ll be leading the pack. He gets me up and out everyday.

You recently moved the OV Headquarters from New York to Austin. What is it about Austin that drew you to move here and set up shop? Why is Austin a good fit for the OV brand?

Launching an activewear brand in New York makes sense (it’s a city with an immense amount of opportunity), but as we continue to grow, we wanted to build our permanent homebase in a city that allows our employees to live a lifestyle aligned with our mission. Austin is a city where getting outside and being active with friends is part of daily life; it embodies the spirit of everything OV stands for.

So OV is a dog-friendly office. Has that ever caused any issues? Any good dog-related office stories?

We love dogs! There’s usually a pup or two in our office at any given time. Our office manager, Steff, put together a great set of guidelines for bringing our friends to work so we alternate days, have a signup sheet so we know who is going to be in the office and when, and some general behavior etiquette we all stick to.

–> Register for the OV Dog Jog! Click here to sign up to participate.