Every December I transfer significant dates and events from the old calendar to the new one. One event always makes the new calendar – the Mighty Texas Dog Walk. If you live in or near Central Texas, I invite you and your dog to join my dog and I on Saturday, April 24!

The three-mile Dog Walk raises funds for Texas Hearing and Service Dogs (http://servicedogs.org) (THSD). THSD is a non-profit which evaluates some abandoned, shelter, and rescue dogs for their potential to be Hearing or Service Dogs. If a dog shows potential it is placed with a foster trainer who continues working with the dog. When the dog has made sufficient progress it and the trainer are paired with a person in need, who learns how to work with the dog. Eventually the dog lives full-time with the person. Here are a few of their success stories (http://servicedogs.org/dogtales/index.html) .

Though it costs about $5,000 to train a Hearing Dog and $10,000 to train a Service Dog, THSD charges the recipient only a $25 application fee. THSD depends on grants, donations, and volunteers to do its work. Help this very worthy organization by walking with your dog on Saturday April 24.

The entry fee is $20. In addition to helping THSD, you get a goodie bag. Go here to learn more (http://servicedogs.org/news/dogwalk2004.htm), read the complete rules, and complete the entry form.

A fun thing about the Dog Walk is that it is an opportunity to set a new Guinness World Record for the largest organized dog walk. Austin has already set two records, but Great Britain currently holds the record at 4,372 dogs. Help us take the record back!

This will be my fifth year to help give some of Texas’ castoff dogs a second chance at life and maybe a job, and to help people gain independence with the assistance of a four-footed. Stella will be my companion for this year’s Walk and we would love to have you join us.

We look forward to seeing you Saturday April 24. Let me know if you will be there. We can walk together and then have brunch. Hope to see you there!

That is great that you do that Moonpiesdad ! I'm in NH, so I can't walk with you, but I wanted to wish you my best.

I'd love to come to Texas to participate, but alas, I am too far away!

You're a good person to do the walk every year and your doogie, I assume it's Moonpie that's walking with you, is a good doogie to join you.:clap:

SOUNDS GREAT!!! Let me check my calander and with my hubby...probably also with my doctor...But it sounds great...it would give me a reason to come up to Austin and visit with some of my friends there too!!! ooh maybe I can convince some of my pals to come with me and we can make a weekend trip of it!! I will definetly let you know!

Thanks, everyone! It will be tough to top the Guinness record because on the same day there is a fundraiser for another deserving group, but we will do our best. I’ll take photos of the festivities and post them.

Averysmom: Stella is my primary walker this year. I’m undecided about taking Moonpie – her hips are becoming arthritic or dysplasic or both. :worried: We visit the vet today. If Moonpie does go, a friend has volunteered to walk her.

kameronesdiablo: Let me know if you can make it.

Oh ya, I forgot you had three like me, I just remembered that Avis is elderly and probably wouldn't be going. Let us know how Moonpie makes out at the vet. Did you know that I think my Sammy is a Aussie Cattle dog mix?

Sounds like fun and for such a good cause! I will try and rearrange some plans and join you. :)

Yes, Avis is 14. She has congestive heart failure. I won't subject her to the Walk because she has earned the right to do as much or as little as she likes.

Moonpie was diagnosed by the vet as having no obvious hip or leg problems but I am unconvinced. I will carefully take her on a long walk today to see how she does. I will also consider getting a second opinion. I don't want to talk myself into believing that she has a problem, I want to make certain she is OK.

Charliesmom, we'd love to meet you.

Averysmom, do you have a photo of Sammy? Here's one of Stella.

Sure do!!

http://www.cartogra.com/servlet/LinkPhoto?GUID=7d596f85-5918-42ce-8624-12176b941c01&size=lg

http://www.cartogra.com/servlet/LinkPhoto?GUID=457b5164-2768-3249-52c2-40532df62707&size=lg

Sammy's ears fold over at the tips. Your Stella is beeeeutiful!!

Edited: I'm just comparing pics and wow, their faces are very similar eh? How's Moonpie's hips?

Originally posted by Averysmom
Sure do!!

Sammy's ears fold over at the tips. Your Stella is beeeeutiful!!

Edited: I'm just comparing pics and wow, their faces are very similar eh? How's Moonpie's hips?

Aww, you're too kind. Sammy has a lot of ACD in her - I particularly see it in the triangular face and the red merle of her (her?) coat. I didn't know that Dalmatians helped form the ACD breed - but that helps explain the merle.

Moonpie has leg/foot/hip trouble. She hobbled around after our long (three mile) walk last Saturday. She mostly lays on her left side so that she can extend her right leg. When she stands, her right foot turns out. I've started her on glucosamine/chondroitin. I'm dissatisfied with this vet, who is one of two that run the clinic.

I've discussed this with three people who I trust and all said, independently of one another, that his 'bedside manner' sucks. I mentioned earlier in this thread that Avis has CGH. One person said that this particular vet does not diagnose it even when the symptoms are obvious. Two of my confidants suggested having the other vet examine Moonpie, which is what I'll do next.

Hi, I am new here.

I just purchased to dogs from a friend's husband who trains the drug and police dogs. They are both 2 1/2 yrs old and male. One is a black lab (Kilo) and the other is a golden retriever (Trooper). They failed their testing and I happend to be looking at the same time. I will be able to have them on the 22nd. Right now, they are being trained by people who are learning to be trainers. Hey, any little bit helps, right?


Anyway, I live in leander and am interested in attending. I think this would be fun for them.


~Christine

Well it's very unlikely that 4218 dogs took a walk today. Ugly weather threatened, and a lot of people undoubtedly used that as an excuse to weenie out. The weather turned out to not be a problem.

A hard rain fell from about 4AM to about 6AM and it rained lightly until I left the house at 8:15. Stella was none too certain about the wisdom of walking in the rain - I had to boost her into the pickup - but once we unloaded she was an eager girl.

We met friends and had a great walk. I didn't take any photos but a number of images are indelibly imprinted on my brain. Here are only five:

Drake, my friends' black Lab mix, being composed and focused throughout the walk. The black Great Dane with booties on its paws. The poodle with the dog show cut and nasty purple-and-pink hairdo (eeewwwwwww!!!!!). The Newf rolling in the rain puddles in parking lot, with a goofy grin on its face. The Corgi not shrinking away from the German Shepherd mix with an attitude.

A record likely wasn't broken but about $60,000 was raised for Texas Hearing and Service Dogs, which is way more important.