Outside the Forecast, WTHR 13News. Reported by Lindsey Monroe. Aired September 2, 2026. Runtime about 16 minutes.
Outside the Forecast is a WTHR 13News program, and reporter Lindsey Monroe brought it to Indianapolis Animal Care Services (IACS), where we run free weekly slatmill sessions for shelter dogs. The crew filmed on location at the shelter, with IACS staff on camera alongside us.
The segment runs about 16 minutes and covers the three things people ask us about most: what the equipment actually is, what we measure during a session, and what the shelter staff have seen in the dogs since we started coming.
It looks like a treadmill, and that is where the confusion starts. On camera we called it the most common thing people get wrong about what we do. A treadmill has a motor that drives the belt at a speed someone else picked. A slatmill has no motor at all.
The dog powers the belt. Nothing moves until the dog moves, and the belt goes exactly as fast as the dog is walking or running. If the dog speeds up, the belt speeds up. If the dog slows down, it slows down. If the dog stops, the belt stops. The dog sets the pace from the first step to the last and can stop at any time.
That is why it works for so many different dogs. In the IACS program the smallest dog is roughly 30 to 40 pounds, and the sessions have also worked for pugs, shepherds, Malinois, and overweight retrievers and labs. Nobody has to keep up with a machine. The machine keeps up with the dog.
No dog is asked to run on day one. The first two sessions are about getting comfortable.
Every Sunday we bring the van to Indianapolis Animal Care Services and run shelter dogs for free. IACS staff put it plainly on camera: we come every week and get through 6 to 10 dogs over roughly a three to four hour span.
Benji, a Malinois, is the dog the segment follows. Benji hit a peak speed of 11.6 mph on the slatmill. IACS staff said that after that first session Benji settled in the kennel suite for the first time ever, and now sleeps for hours after each run and walks calmly on leash.
That is what the program is for. A shelter dog with somewhere to put all that energy is a calmer dog in the kennel and an easier dog to meet.
Every session is 30 minutes, and our sensor records 14 metrics per session. Several of them were on the screen in the van during the segment, tracked live as the dog ran:
Active time matters more than elapsed time. It only counts when the belt is actually moving, so a dog that paused to sniff for a minute gets an honest number. Typical distance is 1 to 2 miles, depending on the dog.
Those stats sync to the owner’s dashboard in our app, so progress is visible from one session to the next instead of something you have to guess at.
The client example named on air was Kona, down 4 pounds in 2 months. That is the kind of change that is easy to miss day to day and impossible to miss on a chart.
The same dashboard runs for every client dog and every shelter dog we work with. The shelter session Benji ran and the driveway session your dog runs produce the same record.
Rated 5 stars across 9 Google reviews, shown here word for word.
Absolutely LOVE The Canine Gym!!! Both of my dogs are always excited to see the van pull up in our driveway. The staff is amazing and truly care about our pets. One of my dogs is reactive and this has been a safe way for him to get his energy out in an environment that he’s comfortable in. When it was too hot to walk my dogs, they were still able to get their much needed exercise.
We were so excited to hear about this mobile business! It was exactly what we were looking for! We have two golden’s one that has a very, very fast pace and usually pulls, and the other has a very slow pace and loves to stop a lot and sniff, which makes it very hard to walk both of them together. We jumped on the chance to try out the intro package and what I loved about it was that Mia was very sweet and patient with both of the dogs. I highly recommend the introductory package as it allows you and your dog to see if they will take to the slatmill. Slatmills have no motor, and the dogs will gain confidence learning that they can stop and start and go at their own pace. Kona is our fast pup and he caught on very quickly; Piper, however, took some coaxing even to get into the van, but once she was there, she got it and went her own pace. Both pups were very tired afterwards. The introductory package has two sessions and we will be signing up for memberships! They really care for your pups and I love that you get the stats and can watch even alive stream while the session is active. I can’t wait to see what this does for our dogs’, fitness and well-being!
The owner, Mia, and her husband are the best! I’ve been waiting for a mobile dog gym in Indy and this is perfect. I have one dog that is high anxiety and they have been so kind and patient with her every session, I couldn’t have asked for better. The live stream in the van for pup viewing is so nice! I really cannot recommend this company enough, they’re amazing! 💙
The Canine Gym has been a fantastic experience for my dogs! The convenience of having the gym come directly to us is amazing, and the staff is always professional, friendly, and great with dogs. My pups get a safe, fun, and challenging workout every session, which has helped burn off energy and improve overall fitness. I love seeing how excited my dog gets when the gym arrives. I highly recommend this service to any dog owner looking for a convenient way to keep their dog active and happy!
My 4YO white boxer Ham/Hamilton loves the Canine Gym! He always gets excited to see Mia, and he loves to perform on the treadmill. He comes back happy and panting and ready for a nap. We highly recommend the Canine Gym...especially for those of us, who work from home and don't always have a lot of time to walk our dogs during the workday!
Mia and Paul are great with dogs. My service dog took right to the track with no issues. I plan to continue using the Canine Gym to give him a little more exercise than just frisbee and ball in the back yard.
Absolutely love utilizing The Canine Gym's services!! Mo is a high energy pitty puppy that we walk twice a day, yet he is still up and ready to go within an hour of returning from a 3 mile walk. It's so helpful to have the slatmill come to our door and let Mo run full out for 30 minutes. It is the best way to tire our guy out and he loves it so much! Mia is so friendly and excited to see Mo, which makes me feel safe and comfortable leaving Mo for 30 minutes. It even helps me knock out a bunch of work uninterrupted when he is taking a jog and exhausted afterwards. We could not recommend using The Canine Gym enough!!
Mia has successfully gotten my dog to not only not be afraid of the treadmill, but actually enjoy doing it. Our dog has increased her speed and I am sure she will improve her health. Mia is very good with dogs. She's very compassionate and patient. My dog loves her weekly sessions.
Mia is wonderful with our girl and she gets so excited when she sees the van pull up!
Reviewers shared photos of their dogs too. You can see them on our Google profile.