Annual Mutt Strut coming May 18
The course turn around point will have water for dogs and humans as well as at the finish line. After the run make sure to stick around for some fun doggie contests. You can dress your dog for the best dressed category, perform one best trick, or if you look like your dog then "dog that looks most like his human" is the category for you. There will be fun prizes and raffles.
This year there is an easy online form at www.pawsitiveworks.com or here. for registration or you can find forms in local stores downtown.
Registration starts at 8 am and the run starts at 9 am. Cost is $10 dog/human team and $25 for a family. All proceeds go to support Pawsitive Works™ a 501c3 non-profit organization.
What is Pawsitive Works™? When we tell people that we pair at risk youth with shelter dogs in a program that “Shapes Both Ends of the Leash” – people nod and smile – but they don’t really “get it”! We often compare the program to prison inmates training dogs and people begin to get the idea of what we do.
Youth are referred to the program from juvenile justice agencies. Most have problem behaviors that benefit from learning valuable life lessons such as empathy, self-concept and mindfulness.
Youth are assigned a dog from a community shelter to train three times a week for five weeks. The youth work with the shelter dogs to provide much needed enrichment, love and train them in better behaviors. The bond is magical and the changes that are witnessed is emotional and mind blowing.
Helping youth become better members of society while nurturing a shelter dog can only be seen as a win-win. Many shelters lack the staff and/or funding to provide training or enrichment programs for their dogs. The training, love and attention that the dogs in the program receive are beneficial to the mental health of the dog. Pawsitive Works™ helps these overlooked and hard to adopt dogs become more adoptable.
Each five week program session culminates with a graduation ceremony where the youth can hand over their training dogs to the new adoptive families. There typically is never a dry eye in the room.
Pawsitive Works™ has been operating in Sandpoint, ID; Coeur d’Alene, ID; Caldwell, ID; Spokane, WA and Seattle, WA. Pawsitive Works™ has a heartfelt desire to serve the youth and canines of Boundary County. If you would like to donate or sponsor and event or find out more about the program please visit www.pawsitiveworks.com or call (208) 946-3883.