If you’re going to hit the road for a morning run, you might as well take along as many friends as possible.

In an unlikely outing, members of a high school cross country team in California, went for their run accompanied by dogs from a local animal shelter.

“It was a win-win for both the cross country team and shelter dogs,” Stacy Silva, community outreach coordinator for Santa Barbara County Animal Services, told the Noozhawk.com website. “Tired dogs equal happy dogs.”

The runners collected the dogs from a local animal shelter (Noozhawk.com)

The team's running coach, Luis Escobar, wrote on Facebook that he could not determine who was more excited about the expedition.

“I am not sure who was more excited and having the most fun...the dogs or the kids,” he wrote. “Either way, it was a great time and I am sure we will do it again sometime soon.”

Mr Escobar, coach at the St Joseph High School in Orcutt, said he came up with the idea as a way of mixing fun, but also helping the teenagers obtain the voluntary service points required of them by the school.

“I just thought it would be a great idea to get the kids together with some of the dogs and go for a run,” he said. “And that’s exactly what we did.”

Mr Escobar said he was hoping the full team reunites for the start of the season and can undertake another run with the dogs.