Pooches Walk, Woof and Wag for a cause

Stewie%2C+Australian+Shepherd+%286+years+old%29+-+Stewie+is+trained+to+detect+human+cancer+at+early+stages.+Photo+credit%3A+Jae+Siqueiros

Stewie, Australian Shepherd (6 years old) – “Stewie is trained to detect human cancer at early stages.” Photo credit: Jae Siqueiros

Walk Woof Wag is an annual fundraising dog walk that raises money for Chico Animal Shelter’s medical fund. On Saturday, pooches from all over the county banded together for this 3K/5K walk in hopes of raising money for the health of shelter animals and the hope that they will receive permanent homes.

The concept of Walk Woof Wag was brought to light by then 14-year-old Bryce Velasco. He wanted to honor his dog, Jasmine, as well as complete his leadership class project. Little did he know the event would get so big.

Bryce.jpg
Bryce Velasco, the founder of Walk Woof Wag. Photo credit: Jae Siqueiros

Soon after, Sarah Richardson, associate professor in recreation, hospitality and parks management invested her time and effort to help organize the event. Richardson is also the founder of Canine Connection, a comprehensive dog training and daycare facility dedicated to strengthening the bond between dogs and their owners.

SarahRichardson.jpg
Sarah Richardson, founder of Canine Connection and assistant professor at Chico State. Photo credit: Jae Siqueiros

Overall, the event went off without a hitch and two-legged friends as well as four-legged friends alike enjoyed their time spent at Sycamore Park.

These dogs and their loving owners came to support the Walk Woof Wag mission.The following is a photo gallery of some of the dogs I met while at the event.

Jae Siqueiros can be reached at [email protected] or @theorion_arts on Twitter.