People, pooches team up to fight flab at Ill. gym

CHICAGO (AP) — Can't get rid of that paunch?

A Chicago-area gym suggests working out with your pooch.

K9 Fit Club offers bow wow boot camps and other classes for people and their puppies to exercise together in Chicago and nearby Hinsdale, Ill.

The fitness center opened last year after founder Tricia Montgomery exercised with her dog and lost 130 pounds. Montgomery says her late basset hound, named Louie, lost 22 percent of his body weight.

Fans of the gym say classes are beneficial to both man and man's best friend.

Montgomery says dogs with weight problems struggle with some of the same issues overweight people face, including heart problems and diabetes.

People who work out at K9 Fit Club say exercising with their dogs keeps them motivated.

Most classes cost about $20.