Annual Run With the Big Dogs draws large crowd

With the Pocatello Animal Shelter just two months from opening its new building, Saturday’s 17th annual Run With the Big Dogs took on a whole new meaning.

“It’s like a child,” said Animal Shelter Manager Danielle Garcia. “Everybody thinks their dog’s the cutest.”

And there were plenty of dogs to see at the Ross Park Pavilion. But don’t let the name fool you – this place was a showcase of doggie diversity.

“As you look around, there are no dogs that are really fighting or anything like that,” said Cassandra Hunter. “Everyone’s having a great time, they’re getting their energy out and spending time with their moms and dads and families.”

Hunter, grooming shop manager at Pom Poso Place, has been coming to the run for 10 years. She said she has seen some people just come to socialize their dog with other dogs, and that’s something Garcia says is a big part of adopting out animals, including cats.

“We also have an amazing cat enclosure that will be in the lobby of the new shelter,” said Garcia. “That was all part of the Friends of the Pocatello Animal Shelter that made that happen.”

The Friends of the Pocatello Animal Shelter is the nonprofit group that helps the public when the shelter adopt out animals. Money raised at Saturday’s event helps reduce adoption fees at the shelter.

Between this event and a splash dance held at the Ross Park Aquatic Complex a few weeks ago, the shelter has raised $10,000.

“It also goes toward what’s called a second chance fund, for animals that need medical care,” Garcia said. “If we have a dog with a broken leg or a wound of some kind, it helps to pay for the medical fees.”

Some ran, others walked and some just came for the socialization, and that accounts for the owners as well. But Hunter said this is a very good thing for many dogs, especially the dogs in the shelter.

“You can get to know the dog, you can bring your dog down and they can meet in a neutral environment,” she said. “I think it’s just all around it’s a great thing for anybody involved on any side of it.”