More than 100 people walking at a city park Sunday can really say their dogs are barking for a good cause and their feet are probably sore, too.
The Friends for Life Walk took place at Sunnidale Park to help raise money for the Ontario SPCA and Humane Society and its affiliates.
Teams of people and their four-legged friends started at the Dorian Parker Centre and walked the park in order to help raise funds for spaying and neutering pets, humane education, the rescue and release program, and general veterinarian costs for the animals.
Animal centre manager Madalyn Abreu told BarrieToday it's the organization’s big event and runs throughout the province.
“There are a lot of locations across Ontario doing this today, as it is the main event for our fundraising initiative,” said Abreu. “People have been pledging for a while now, but the really neat part of it is all the walkers who come in with extra money to lend a hand.”
Dogs of all breeds joined their humans for the walk with activities on site for everyone. A barbecue, live music and bouncy castles for the kids kept everyone happy.
Michelle Inch brought her golden retriever, Hannah, to the event, which has been around for several years.
“This is my first year, but heard about it and thought it was such a great way to support a great organization like the SPCA,” she said. “I think the walk gets to so many people because people just love dogs. How could you not?”
The Ontario SPCA is one of the largest animal organizations in the country, with 146 years of expertise in providing care and shelter for tens of thousands of animals every year in over 40 communities.
The Ontario SPCA promotes animal advocacy providing humane education, sheltering, fostering and adoptions, crisis intervention, animal rescue and mobile veterinary services.
