By WENDEE BRUNISHChair, Los Alamos Dog Jog
The weather gods smiled on homeless cats and dogs on Saturday April 30, 2016. Despite rain and wind on Friday and snow on Sunday, Saturday was sunny and calm for the 19th annual Los Alamos Dog Jog. The fine weather brought out hundreds of humans and their canine companions to enjoy the 5K run or the two mile walk.
This year’s Dog Jog raised over $13,500 for Friends of the Shelter. Friends of the Shelter (FOS) is a nonprofit organization that provides assistance to abandoned animals and to pets and their owners in northern New Mexico. Our catastrophic care program pays for veterinary care for sick or injured animals that have no owners or whose owners cannot afford the treatment.
Our spay/neuter program provides grants to our partner organizations, including the Espanola Valley Humane Society and the McKinley County Animal Shelter so that they can provide low- or no-cost spay/neuter services to their clients. FOS also encourages responsible pet ownership and promotes adoption of shelter animals through education and outreach.
We would like to thank our top sponsors this year, Los Alamos National Bank, Ridgeview Veterinary Animal Hospital and Ameriprise, and our other major sponsors, Animal Clinic of Los Alamos, Lou Santoro State Farm Insurance, the Blue Window Bistro for making our event possible.
We would also like to thank LA Dog House, Ready! Set! Sit! Dog Training, Hartway & Breshears CPAS LLC, Proton Pawsitive Dog Training, New Mexico Bank & Trust, Play It Again Dog Training, Los Alamos Medical Center, Los Alamos Chiropractic, Miles and Kendricks, and Arthur B. Montoya Jr., DDS for their donations. Prizes were generously provided by Pet Pangaea, The Running Hub of Santa Fe, Multifusion Sports, Los Alamos Fitness, Nancy Parker, Yours Truly Diana’s and the Los Alamos Cooperative Market.
We are grateful to all the individuals and families who made a donation in order to have a dedication or memorial to friends or furry companions included on our t-shirt. And a special thank you to fifth-grader Yunseo Kim who designed this year’s Dog Jog logo, modeling the charming design on her furry companion.
The post-race prize ceremony included prizes for curliest tail, pirate-lookalike dogs, and a most pampered pet category, the winner receiving a custom made dog bed donated by Yours Truly, Diana’s. We would also like to thank the Los Alamos Fire Brigade for providing race safety and support.
Finally, we would like to thank everyone who participated in our 19th Annual Dog Jog. Thank you for running or walking, thanks for bringing friends, family, kids, and dogs. Special thanks to the walkers and runners who ‘rented’ a shelter dog and allowed them to participate in the fun; they had a blast. Thanks for joining in our post-race prize ceremony and thanks for supporting Friends of the Shelter and our efforts to make life better for our less fortunate animal friends. We hope to see you again next year!
