Paws hit the pavement along Fort Lauderdale Beach on February 3 as more than 1,500 dogs and their humans took part in the 34^th annual VCA Walk for the Animals. The event is, by far, the largest fundraiser for the Humane Society of Broward County, and Co-Chairs Carey Morgan and Michelle Watson report that to date, a net of more than $484,000 was raised for the shelter’s programs and services.

The cool, sunny weather made for a comfortable and fun-filled morning as dogs of all shapes and sizes, and their people, gathered excitedly at Las Olas Intracoastal Promenade Park. Emcees Jade Alexander and Martica Lopez from Hits 97.3, Jacey Birch from Local 10, and Bobby Mitchell, Nikki and Mike Kruz from Easy 93.1 kept the crowd engaged, and there were plenty of vendor booths to visit and score gifts and prizes from, as well as live entertainment, food and drink, and splash pools for water-loving canines. (Walk participants who could not attend in person could check out all the sponsor booths virtually at the Vendor Village.) The Humane Society also offered fun activities for kids, informational booths, a Pet Boutique, roaming mascots and more!

Walkers could take part individually, or they could put together a Pack – either way, those raising a certain amount of donations won different levels of goodies, as well as entering in prize drawings. There were 133 packs, with three taking home the top placement in amount raised. On Walk day, in first place, PAWS came out victorious with a Pack record of $52,832.35; in second place was Teachers’ Pets with $31,578.41; and in third place, Stilish Paws raised $27,105.12.

The top fundraising individuals also brought in some very impressive amounts. In first place was Laura Hogle with $27,624.50; Cherie Wachter took second place with $12,228.61; and Dayle Fragin won third place with $10,127.70.

We are so grateful to those who participated and worked hard to raise funds for the animals! Many companies match donations for their employees, and this support is appreciated too – walkers, make sure you’ve taken advantage of this perk! We are also very thankful for the 137 volunteers, both pre-Walk and at the event, who helped make the day such a huge success.

Sponsors for 2024’s VCA Walk for the Animals were: VCA Animal Hospitals; Purina; Tidy Cats; Subaru of Pembroke Pines; JM Family Enterprises Inc; Boehringer Ingelheim Animal Health; Blakeley Law Firm, P.A; Southwest Plumbing Services Inc.; Real Res; Chewy; RKD Group; Fetch Pet Insurance; Tropical Financial Credit Union; Zoetis Petcare; K9 Pet Resorts (Pompano Beach), Riverland Apartments; Fitglow Beauty; Brightstar Credit Union; Emerald Hills Pharmacy; Antinol Plus; Paychex; Broward Health; Animal Cancer Care Clinic; Veterinary Eye Institute; Scenthound; Memorial Healthcare Systems; Merck Animal Health; Chase Roofing; Coldwell Banker Realty; Sun Credit; ProSolar; Hounds Town USA; Bickoff Construction; Mobile Mike, Easy 93.1, Hits 97.3; Hot 105; 99 Jamz and WPLG Local 10.

Be sure to save the date for the 2025 Walk for the Animals.  The fabulous, fundraising event will take place on Saturday, February 22.

The Humane Society of Broward County is a private, non-profit organization that is not affiliated with any local or national group with a similar name and does not receive funding from the government.  To see who is looking for a home, learn about upcoming events, view low-cost vaccine and microchip hours or make a donation, visit www.humanebroward.com.  The shelter is located at 2070 Griffin Road, Fort Lauderdale, FL 33312 and is open seven days a week.  If you have any questions call 954-989-3977.