Canines and their owners are invited to meet at 9 a.m. Saturdays at AquaPaws animal rehabilitation center in La Quinta Community Park for a group dog walk.

The AquaPaws Dog Walking Group, organized about two years ago, usually walks in the La Quinta Cove area, but there are also “special” walks scheduled throughout the year, including during the Arthritis Walk in Palm Desert and a stroll through Old Town during the Art Under the Umbrellas events.

Regular exercise will often result in a better behaved pet, organizers said.

“It's important for the fitness aspect as well as the social aspect,” said Emily Blackwood, wellness coordinator for Village Park Animal Hospital in La Quinta. “A well-exercised dog is a much-easier-to-manage dog.”

Blackwood said fit dogs can live as much as a year-and-a-half longer than an overweight dog.

Denise Goolsby