By Sarah Adams
If you're looking for a way to spend the Fourth of July with your best canine pal, without the scary booms of firecrackers, Mercer County’s Dog Owners Group has planned an afternoon of food and fun.
D.O.G.’s sixth annual dog walk to benefit Canine Partners for Life is set for noon to 4 p.m. at the wooded Shenango Valley RV Park, 559 E. Crestview Drive in Delaware Township.
Canine Partners for Life of Cochranville, Pa., is a nonprofit organization that trains, raises and places puppies as companion dogs to assist people with mobility, seizure or other problems. Canine Partners operates puppy training programs in six prisons in Pennsylvania, including Cambridge Springs women’s prison and the State Correctional Institution at Albion.
The cost of training each dog is estimated at about $22,000, according to information from Canine Partners.
The local Dog Owners Group is helping to offset that cost on Independence Day by participating in Canine Partners’ PawsAmericacq. The afternoon will consist of a Paws-a-thon, a pledge walk around the RV Park from 12:45 to 1:30 p.m.; doggie games and costume contest from 1:30 to 3; and a Chinese auction from 3 to 4. Food, including sno-cones for people and pets, will be available starting at noon.
Special guests for the afternoon will be Tara McKibben of Youngstown and her dog, April, who was trained by Canine Partners to assist her with the tasks of daily living.
Participants in the Paws-a-thon can walk with or without a dog by their side; all dogs must be leashed. Pledge sheets are available at these locations: the RV Park; Hurlbert Hardware in Greenville; Baker Pet hospital in Clark; Hillcrest Flynn Dog Park and Hermitage Agway, both Hermitage; Greenville Veterinary Clinic in West Salem Township; Jamestown Veterinary Clinic; or online at www.k94life.org, clicking on “upcoming events are here” and scrolling to PAWSAmerica.
Shenango Valley RV Park is a gated community, but visitors attending the canine carnival will be met at the entrance and given wristbands to gain admittance for the day.
For more information, contact Robin Adler by phone, 724-301-0283, or by e-mail, indy41106@hotmail.com
