Dog Jog Blog

I love animals. I love people that help animals.

This year, my stepdaughter, Ashley, and I decided we wanted to do the annual Dog Jog with our local SPCA. The name is exactly what the event is- people get together and "jog" (though I did not see one person jogging) with their dogs, while raising money for the shelter. This year was an especially important one for our SPCA- last week, they made the announcement that they would be closing due to lack of funds. It was devastating to read this in the paper, as it was hard to imagine what would happen to all the homeless/abandoned/lost animals in our area. Believe me, there are enough to justify a shelter, and it seems lately more and more animals are just being left at their door. It was amazing to see the outpouring of concern by the people of our city, and the amount of money the shelter was able to raise in one week. Combine that with the money they will receive from the sale of one of their properties, and they will be able to stay open- for now, anyway. As they said, expenses will continue to grow, and they still need all the help they can get. IN this moment, though, we can all breathe a sigh of relief knowing that someone is looking out for the furballs who can't look out for themselves.

Ashley and Molly, enjoying the tropical weather, pre-walk

I wasn't sure how Molly would do at an event like this one. To say she is high strung would be an understatement, and I had visions of having my shoulder being dislocated due to her pulling me every which way to sniff every single dog butt in sight. Molly met my expectations upon arriving and heading for the registration booth. When the nice lady asked me our dog's name and age, Molly let out a famous beagle "Aroooooo", which echoed across all of Rockwood Park. "Here we go", I thought.Molly's insanity will be in full swing, and I would probably leave frustrated and embarrassed.

Since we were early, we decided to take a stroll around to kill some time before the actual walk began. The first dog we met was a large, and very sweet, Golden Lab. Molly pulled and pulled with all her strength and determination to get to this gentle giant, only to get right to in its face and cry bloody murder. She yelped as if this dog was trying to bite her head off, when in reality, all he did was look at her with his big, brown eyes. Can you say DRAMA QUEEN? I sheepishly apologized to the dog's owner, who was more than understanding, and off we went. Surprisingly, Molly was fantastic for the remainder of the pre-walk. She greeted all the dogs without the "Stop trying to kill me!" reaction she had displayed earlier, she didn't pull, and she was quiet as a mouse. It was blissful, and I can honestly say she stayed this way the rest of the day.

Shortly before the walk started, we met a nice couple and their Puggle puppy, Mia. I LOVE Puggles, and used to beg Clinton for one. I just think the combo of a pug/beagle is genius! And Mia had just the right features from both breeds- the floppy beagle ears, the little wrinkle forehead, the beagle body- okay, she was like 85% beagle, which could be why I took such a shining to her. But she truly was beautiful, and had a great personality. She was 8-months old, so hearing some of their stories brought back memories of when Molly was younger- memories that seem funnier now than they did at the time. While talking to Mia's owners, we also met up with our friends Robbie and Tyah and their Golden Retriever puppy, Tipper. When I say Tipper is freaking adorable, I mean she is freaking adorable. I could have taken her home in a heartbeat and never looked back.

The walk began, and off we went. We quickly lost Mia and her humans (whose names I regrettably did not catch), as she was a racer and wanted to get going. It was nice to see so many people and their dogs in one place, and I can say that it is impressive how well behaved all these animals were. I really thought it was going to be a madhouse.

And we're off!

The real fun, though, began after the walk. We met up with Mia, and while Tipper ran circles around us off her leash (I wonder what that's like), Molly did her best to get in on the action. When you have a 4 foot leash, you don't get to do much. Mia's owners suggested we take the dogs to the dog park and let them run off their leashes. I was nervous, but Molly was so playful, I decided it would be fun for her. And since she had two new friends, why not?

In typical Molly fashion, she was off like a bullet as soon as I removed her leash. Just running to run, I am sure she was enjoying the freedom. Mia scampered behind her, barking and yelping, saying "Wait Molly! Wait!" in my head. It was great to watch them. Tipper, being so young, took a little longer to get in on the action, but quickly caught on, and was in amongst the insanity before long. Then something happened- something that made me realize Molly is not a puppy anymore, and actually opened my eyes to how much she has changed. She stopped running, she had drool hanging off her face, and she looked as though she needed a puffer. While Tipper, Mia, and the other dogs continued to romp around, Molly stayed off to the side, catching her breath. This floored me- my Molly, stopping play to rest? Wha? And the other dogs just kept on going...and going...and going. Eventually, Molly rejoined the action, but I think it might have been because she was feeling the pressure.

Tipper and Mia, coaxing Molly to rejoin the fun

Though she's the oldest, she's still the quickest- trailed by Mia, and then little Tipper

"I'd appreciate if you'd leave my bum out of this". New friend, Tucker, definitely tried to hook up with Molly once or twice.

After the playing, Molly once again stopped for a break. She was standing alone in the corner, while Tipper and Mia continued to romp, when a little girl and her parents came strolling along outside the gate. The girl said "Aw, look at those dogs!" She stopped and looked at Molly, and said "That one is all lonely." Break my heart! Honestly, if Molly was a kid, and that was a playground, I might have cried.

All in all, a very successful day! Molly made some friends, got some exercise, and to boot helped to raise money for the SPCA! We will definitely be doing this again each year!