HSCC's Walk for the Animals

Last Sunday, Roger and I participated in the 15th annual Walk for the Animals! It's the biggest fundraiser of the year for the Humane Society of Chittenden County, which is the shelter where Roger and I found each other.

The weather was perfect! Sunny and 60's in Battery Park. We arrived at about 10:15am to find the park already packed with dogs and their people checking out the booths of sponsoring vendors. We found the registration tables and took our place in line. That might have been the toughest part of the day - waiting our turn near so many other dogs, but not being able to play! At last it was our turn. Since we raised over $100, I received a t-shirt and a ticket for a free lunch!

With registration successfully completed, Roger and I headed over to one of the several tents set up around the park for shade. I didn't wear nearly enough sun block, and silly Roger was wearing fur! There were also sponsored water bowls scattered about - not that Roger would drink from a communal bowl, but it was a great idea.

A few minutes after 11am, the crowds formed a line on the path and started the march down to the waterfront and back. Roger refused to start walking until Erin was with us. Erin has been at the shelter since I started as a volunteer, first as canine coordinator and now shelter supervisor. Roger has always loved her - she's one of the few people for whom he willingly leaves my side. Throughout the walk he insisted on being near her! I hope she found it cute and not obnoxious...

On the way back up the hill, there was a deep fountain, and several of the big dogs took the opportunity to take a quick dip to cool off. At first Roger was hesitant, since the water was too deep to step into one foot at a time, but with some gentle nudges from Erin and me, he finally landed in with a splash and a smile.

After that, at last it was time for food! Upon re-entering Battery Park, volunteers were handing out big huge dog cookies on strings (I think they were from PupCat Bakery). We got in line and received our free lunch. I got a veggie burger with cheese, the former of which I shared with the Little Sir.

We took some time to wander around to the different vendors' tents. There was of course Pet Food Warehouse, which is just about Roger's favorite place in the world. We spoke with a woman from Pet Naturals of Vermont, and got a free sample pouch of their Daily Best soft chew vitamin supplements, which Roger absolutely loves.

Of course no event in Vermont would be complete without Ben & Jerry's! There were volunteers dishing it out, and Roger even got his own cup!

It's good to be a dog in Vermont :-)


Roger and I raised $227, and we couldn't have done it without the help of our wonderful Twitter anipals and friends! @SidTheCatahoula, @ruthiegelber, @jessiea, @SylvieDog, @MugsyDog, @coldnosephoto, @actionjackson95, as well as our non-Twitter donors, Amanda, Lesa, Jenny & Reuben, Erin Ryan & Mason, Jess Shane & Haiden, and my parents. THANK YOU so much for your donations and support!

Overall, the event raised over $52,000! HSCC is such a wonderful shelter, run by an amazing group of people. We were so happy to be a part of this event. If you didn't get a chance to donate before the event but would still like to support the HSCC, our fundraising page is still open!