On the first Saturday in May, Louisville, Kentucky, is home to “The Run for the Roses.”
On the third Saturday in May, Columbus is home to the “Run of the Noses.”
The year’s first “Paws for a Cause” event, a fund-raiser for the Lowndes County Humane Society, drew dozens of dog lovers for a variety of events, capped off by a “wiener race.”
In that event, Dooley, a 4-year-old gelding out of Smith-Mason Farms in Columbus, turned back a pair of fillies in the elite field of three to capture the coveted prize, which wasn’t a tennis ball, much to Dooley’s dismay.
Full disclosure. Dooley is one of my five dogs. Fresh off his victory, he is now available for personal appearances and barking engagements.
The wiener race was just one of many events Saturday held at the city’s dog park adjacent to The Columbus Soccer complex, all designed to raise money for the Humane Society, for whom donations are a key source of funding.
“Paws for a Cause” was founded last year by group of animal lovers to provided external funding for the LCHS. In it’s inaugural year, the group raised almost $4,000 to provide funding for things that aren’t covered in the LCHS’s budget.
Dr. Kerry Blanton, a founding member of “Paws” and Saturday’s event organizer, hopes to have raised $1,000 from the event once the receipts are tallied.
Blanton is veterinarian at Animal Clinic of Columbus for the past three years.
“They do such a great job,” she says of LCHS. “Right now, more than 90 percent of the cats and 95 percent of the dogs that come to them are adopted out, so they are doing great things. What the money we raise does is allows them to continue to make improvements and provide medical care for some of the pets. That can be very expensive. Animal Clinic does provide discounts for treatment, but some of the treatment can be very expensive.
“So what we’re doing helps out in a variety of ways. It’s also a lot of fun, too.”
“Paws for a Cause” has three “Puppy Foam Parties” planned for the summer (June 11, July 16, Aug. 13), which is a dog-washing event with a variety of “pet pampering” services available.
On Nov. 12, Nov. 19 and Dec. 3, “Paws” will have “Pet Pictures with Santa” events.
“I thought last year was a great first year,” Blanton said. “Hopefully, we’ll do even better this year. I think we’re off to a pretty good start.”
Dooley agrees.
Slim Smith is a columnist and feature writer for The Dispatch. His email address is [email protected].
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