Puppy Up!
On Saturday November 3 at Santa Barbara’s Chase Palm Park, C.A.R.E.4Paws (care4paws.org) and Trusted Pet Partners (trustedpetpartners.com) will co-host a dog march to raise awareness for canine cancer and help fund research to find a cure. The event—Santa Barbara County’s first such endeavor—is called the Two Million Dogs Puppy Up! Walk (2milliondogs.org) and takes place simultaneously at 30-plus locations throughout the United States in the month of November.
In Santa Barbara, the two-mile dog march will start and end at the oceanside part of Chase Palm Park, at 236 E. Cabrillo Boulevard (near State Street and Sterns Wharf). Registration starts at 10am and the walk begins at noon. Dog-owners, volunteers from dog shelters and rescue groups, and anyone who has ever been affected by cancer, can pledge to walk a dog for $25, while local companies and pet service providers are encouraged to become Puppy Up! event sponsors. Fifty percent of the proceeds will go to the Two Million Dogs foundation and 50 percent to C.A.R.E.4Paws to help the Santa Barbara County nonprofit continue its work to reduce pet overpopulation and keep animals out of the shelter.
The story of 2 Million Dogs began with a man named Luke Robinson and his two dogs, Hudson and Murphy, embarking on a walk from Austin, TX, to Boston, MA, following the loss of Robinson’s Great Pyrenees, Malcolm, to cancer. The trio walked from town to town sharing Malcolm’s story and educating people about cancer in dogs. As they built a nationwide grassroots movement, Robinson had a vision: 2,000,000 dogs walking simultaneously all across the United States for cancer. If two dogs could walk over 2,000 miles, surely it was possible. “Through the Puppy Up! Walk, we are building the largest pet and people cancer community in the world—from business people to artists to scientists and humanitarians—a partnership forged with the singular purpose of ridding the world of its deadliest disease,” says Robinson.
Dogs, who have strong genetic similarities with humans, get many of the same types of cancers as people do, and have similar responses to cancer-fighting drugs. When diagnosed, dogs often have a shorter survival time than humans, allowing researchers to see if a drug is making a difference in a shorter period. The 2 Million Dogs Foundation is committed to discovering the common links between canine and human cancers and the causes of these cancers through comparative oncology research. On a local level, C.A.R.E.4Paws and Trusted Pet Partners want to help support this worthy cause.
About C.A.R.E.4Paws
A 501(c)(3) nonprofit, C.A.R.E.4Paws—short for community awareness, responsibility and education—was created in 2009 by Isabelle Gullö and Carlos Abitia with the mission to help end pet overpopulation in Santa Barbara County and to inspire a greater sense of accountability, compassion and respect for animals in the process. C.A.R.E.4Paws’ programs include Pawsitive Thinking, an elementary school curriculum and children’s book; bilingual/bicultural community outreach; spay and neuter services for low-income pet owners; Dog Training Intervention, including Project ResponsiBull (a free spay/neuter, dog training and educational program for pit bull-type breeds); and regular adoption events to support shelters and rescue groups. The organization recently started Companion Pet Assistance by C.A.R.E.4Paws, bringing pet food and other necessities to low-income pet owners so that they don’t have to relinquish their animals to a shelter. As part of Companion Pet Assistance, the brand-new Veterinary Intervention Program helps qualifying low-income pet owners who cannot afford veterinary care for their dogs and cats.
About Trusted Pet Partners
Trusted Pet Partners, a California corporation, was founded by three partners who have been friends for almost twenty years and share a commitment to make a difference in the lives of animals. The three partners have established this online legal document preparation service to provide pet owners with an easy, affordable way to create a Pet Care Trust that will ensure a pet’s care should the owners become disabled or pass away. Establishing a Pet Care Trust eliminates concerns and assures pet owners that their animal will have a good home for the rest of their life. Trusted Pet Partners understands the importance of planning for the care of companion animals and works to ensure peace of mind.
For more information about C.A.R.E.4Paws, Trusted Pet Partners or the Two Million Dogs Puppy Up! Walk, contact me at 805.968.CARE (2273) or info@care4paws.org
Thanks for your consideration!
