By WENDEE BRUNISHLos Alamos
On a beautiful spring day in April 1998, the first Los Alamos Dog Jog attracted about 75 participants and their canine companions. The first Dog Jog raised about $2000 for Friends of the Shelter.
In April 2017, for the first time in our 20-year history, the Los Alamos Dog Jog was cancelled because of 10 inches of rapidly accumulating snow in White Rock. The Dog Jog organizing committee arrived at Rover Park at 7:30 a.m. and greeted those hardy souls and their four-legged friends who showed up despite the snowy weather and handed out dog toys donated by Pet Pangaea and all of the gift cards and other prizes donated by our many sponsors.
All 240+ registrants also received their 2017 Dog Jog t-shirts designed by White Rock 5 th grader Adrianna Wallin. Funds raised for Friends of the Shelter through this year’s Dog Jog totaled more than $14,000.
The money raised by the Los Alamos Dog Jog goes to help dogs and cats in need. We provide funds to pay for veterinary expenses for homeless pets as well as for low-income pet owners.
Veterinary care that we pay for includes dental surgery, eye surgery, heartworm treatment, an diabetes. All of these treatments provide a better quality of life and longer life span for the dogs and cats that are treated and ensure that they can return to their home or go to a new adoptive home as a healthy and happy pet.
This year, we also funded three leg amputation surgeries. Within the space of a couple of months, three young, friendly, lovable dogs came to us with shattered femurs, likely the result of being hit by a car. These dogs were in a lot of pain, but as a result of the amputation they will now live long and healthy lives prancing around happily on three legs. Two have already been placed in permanent homes where they are thriving and the third will go to his new home soon.
In addition, our very successful spay/neuter program continues to reduce the number of unwanted litters in New Mexico and reduce the number of homeless and unloved pets who are forced into a hazardous existence on the streets and highways of our state.
We would like to thank all of our sponsors, donors, supporters and all of our participants. Our major sponsors this year were Los Alamos National Bank, Jeremy Campbell Ameriprise, Ridgeview Veterinary Hospital, and Pet Pangaea. Our thanks also go out to our other top sponsors, Animal Clinic of Los Alamos, Blue Window Bistro, and Lou Santoro State Farm Insurance. We would also like to thank our other sponsors including New Mexico Bank and Trust, Los Alamos Pet Hotel and Daycare, the Los Alamos Medical Center, Los Alamos Chiropractic, and Dr. Art Montoya, DDS. In addition to Pet Pangaea, prizes for human participants were donated by the Los Alamos Coop Market, Los Alamos Fitness, the Running Hub of Santa Fe, Papa Murphy’s, and Yours Truly, Diana’s Pet Grooming.
We would also like to thank all of our individual donors who sponsored a dedication or memorialization on the 2017 Dog Jog t-shirt, and well as all of those participants who donated a little extra on top of their registration fee to Friends of the Shelter.
And thanks to all of our participants: thanks to those who came out in the snow, thanks to those who stayed at home drinking hot cocoa, and thanks most of all to everyone who will join us next year when we will surely have sunny weather on April 28, 2018!
