DC Walk for the Animals and Pet-A-Palooza raise funds and awareness for Washington Humane Society.
By Erica Tropp
Jay Timmons and Rick Olson and family (Photo by Moshe Zusman)
The Washington Humane Society hosted its annual DC Walk for the Animals and Pet-A-Palooza on Saturday, Sept. 26 to raise awareness and funds for the organization. According to special events manager Sarah Cook, all proceeds raised for the event “benefit the vital programs and services of the Washington Humane Society [allowing] us to provide care, comfort and protection to the more than 51,000 animals we touch annually.”
Thus far, the event has raised over $74,000.
WHS’s Nikki Cochran with dog Sal (Photo by Moshe Zusman)
Pet-lovers and their furry friends joined together in a one-mile walk around Northwest Washington’s Kingsbury Center. Festivities included the walk, live music and entertainment, games and contests for the whole family, including canine companions.
Dogs came dressed to impress, prepared for the coveted Best Costume award. Pooches in poodle skirts, football jerseys and police costumes scattered the lawn of the center, but the award was taken home by Munch, who donned a leather biking jacket and riding goggles.
A second contest, one for the greatest dog trick, was championed by Plato, who performed a trick called “Leave It,” where the owner placed a treat on the dog’s nose and he kept the snack there until he was instructed to eat it, according to Cook.
Both dogs walked away with a small gift basket from The Big Bad Woof, filled with plush dog toys, treats and gift cards, Cook said.
Tommy McFly (Photo by Moshe Zusman)
Adopt Force One, the organization’s mobile adoption vehicle, was present at the event, allowing families to meet animals outside of the shelter environment and helping pets find loving homes. The pets are brought from WHS’s New York Avenue adoption shelter.
“There were seven dogs total on Adopt Force One and one of these dogs was adopted from the event,” Cook said. “There were also many cats on AF1 and two of these cats were adopted at the event.”
The top individual fundraiser was Christine Nassikas, who raised a massive total of $3,175. The top fundraising team, Who Let the Dogs Out, raised $12,215 for WHS. The team includes leader Lizzie Israel and members Marian Grenn, Mallory Micetich and Jay Timmons. All of these winners walked away with large gift baskets from The Big Bad Woof including pet toys, treats and food and gift cards to the store.
