15th Annual Mighty Texas Dog Walk

Hello again. The new blog is still being tweaked, but I have a ton of things to write about and didn't want to wait any longer. The weather has been too nice, and we've had too much to do to really dedicate time to getting it perfect. But I promise we'll get to it soon.

In the meantime, I wanted to share a really fun event that I volunteered at this past Saturday- the 15th Annual Might Texas Dog Walk. Austin has many great events geared towards raising money for animals, but this is one of the biggest. Monies raised support Texas Service Dogs, many who have been pulled from the shelter. I'm more than happy to get behind that cause! The Austin Animal Center was provided a free booth, and I volunteered to man the morning shift. I was all ready for a morning in the sun (we've been having the most beautiful weather lately), but what do you know....winter decided to make one last appearance. It was windy and in the low 50's, but everyone still had a great time!

The event featured a big expo area with many great vendors and service providers giving away freebies. HEB had the largest booth, and I scored some free toys, food and treat samples. But there were also some really good grain-free food samples, poop picker-upper contraptions, more toys and lots of treats. I came home with a whole bag of goodies for our own little dog pack! But there were also vendors who were selling great items as well, and I was wishing I had remembered to grab my wallet. Aside from the booths, there was an agility course, and an area set aside  to break several world records like "Most dogs doing doga at once" and Most dogs wearing the same bandana". I was wishing that I had been able to see some of the activities that came after the actual walk- but I had an adoption event to get to, and I didn't want to keep Beckham (our foster) waiting.

"Swag" from the event.

If you didn't have the chance to go this year, I highly recommend it. You don't have to stay for the whole thing, but the money goes to a great cause and it's a fun environment for everyone. Just be sure to watch your feet and keep your dog safe.

The starting line for the 1 mile walk.

The Grand Marshall was Austin's newsman Jim Spencer and his adorable rescue dog! 

Dogs on the walk.

Agility Course

Dogs of all breeds, shapes and sizes. 

Vendors

I want to highlight two special stories from the day. The first picture is the infamous George Oscar Bleuth. Do yourself a favor and click here to read his incredible story. It's stories like this that make me so proud to be a volunteer for the homeless animal cause. This guy is amazing- and quick as all get out. I almost got run over trying to get his picture...he smelled treats in my pocket!

G.O.B.

This next picture is of two dogs from Lizzy's Hospice House. The mission of this organization is to provide a home to elderly/terminally ill animals in the shelter, so that they can live out their remaining time in a loving and compassionate environment instead of at the shelter. Pull out a tissue and visit their site here to read more. I donate to several animal related non-profits, and this one is next on my list.