Wow! Wow! Wow!
That about sums up the 2015 Pet Palooza event held by the Humane Society of Charlotte. After days and days of rain, Mother Nature blessed us with a mix of sun and clouds (but no rain!!!) which allowed the event to be a huge success... (click the image above to keep reading)
Saturday's gorgeous weather sure did help bring the masses out to Pet Palooza at Independence Park! The largest fundraiser for the Humane Society of Charlotte, Pet Palooza is chock full of fun activities for both dogs and their people...a 2K dog walk, bands, contests, food trucks, a beer garden, vendor fair, microchipping, palm and paw readings, face painting, agility trials, a fido fashion show...the list goes on and on! I'm so glad I got to be a part of this awesome event! As usual, the HSC staff and volunteers worked their bums off to put on a flawless event that raised over $90,000!!! These funds help HSC provide critical services like low-cost spay/neuter, vaccine and microchip clinics, adoptions, and owner/pet training and education. **UPDATE** HSC has now raised over $116,000 and the final numbers are still to come!!!
Here is a recap of the event as well as some of my favorite images from the day's activities. If you'd like to see more, please check out the link HERE.
The foundation of Pet Palooza is the 2K dog walk. It starts the event off with a bang while taking the participants on a nice stroll around the perimeter of Independence Park. I got to be right in the middle of the action... ;)
After the walk, the festivities began! However, there's always time for a quiet moment to catch your breath and take in the view.
Pups got to make their own paw portrait artwork or work off the burn from the walk with a massage...
People weren't left out either! Face painting, massages, and palm readings were just a few of the things keeping the party going!
The Fido Fashion Show quickly got the attention of the crowd as adoptable dogs and HSC alumni strutted their stuff in some divine attire.
And what is a festival without great music? Alex Kastanas and gogo Pilot kept the crowd entertained.
On the other side of the park, your pup had the opportunity to try out the agility course. Jumps, tunnels, and platforms were just a few of the obstacles the Zoom Room trainers would lead your pup through.
A huge food truck paw-villion kept hunger at bay while a beer/wine garden did the same for thirst. (Don't you just love the dog staring at the beer being poured?!?)
My favorite part of the day was just watching people hanging out with their beloved 4-leggers. :)
Not to be forgotten, there were a few epic contests including some great entries for best trick...
Needless to say, Pet Palooza knocked my socks off and I want to thank HSC for inviting me out. I also want to thank all off the great sponsors, vendors, people and dogs that made the event possible.
Again, if you'd like to see more pictures from the event, you may do so HERE.
Thank you and I hope to see everyone again next year!
Saturday was a gorgeous day to celebrate the 2nd annual Trails for Tails 5K trail run and dog walk! The event was held at Rural Hill in Huntersville and took place to benefit the Road to Home Canine Refuge and Great Dane Friends of Ruff Love. Tons of pups and their people attended and I'd say the event was a huge success!!!
Scooby attended the event to keep all the pups happy and to lead the walk.
The day started off with a 5K trail run...
Then it was time for the 1-mile dog walk! Scooby stretched beforehand...
And they're off!!!
Afterward, attendees enjoyed some time to visit the vendors, view adoptable pups, and participate in a costume contest.
An agility course was also set up to entertain the dogs (and people). ;)
A super-awesome flyball course was set up for people to try out and for demonstrations.
Thank you so much to everyone that attended this year's event! To see more pictures from the day, check out the entire gallery here: http://mcgrawphotography.zenfolio.com/2013trailsfortails.
Saturday started out as a typical Spring morning - crisp and cool. Fortunately, this chilly temperatures didn't scare away the many people and dogs that were slated to walk in this year's Bark For Life Lake Norman event. As the sun rose and temperatures climbed, participants began to sign in, get their goody bags, and place the American Cancer Society's signature purple bandanas around their pups' necks. It was only a matter of moments before this year's walk through Birkdale Village was to begin! Hooray! As people started filtering in, I happily captured some of the excited doggy faces that were ready to get their exercise in for the day...
Here are some of the fabulous people that were part of my team! They rock! We have raised $725 for the American Cancer Society and there will be even more money added after my donation from print sales! Not too bad for a first year team! :)
This year, the walk's ambassador was a Westie named Luka. I had the honor of photographing him in the past and I was so excited when the Bark For Life organizers wanted to have him lead the walk. Despite his condition, Luka took his job very seriously and proudly walked before the crowd. What an angel!
There was a great turnout of people and dogs that walked through the streets of Birkdale Village.
About 3/4 into the walk, Luka was still in the lead. What a trooper!!!
After the walk, the crowd enjoyed some fun contests and giveaways. The participants had a good laugh during the doggy fashion show...
With the help of 25 teams and 185 participants, $21,345.00 was raised for the American Cancer Society's fight against canine and human cancers. A huge thanks goes out to everyone involved, including the dogs, walkers, staff and volunteers. You guys rule!
To see more pictures from the event, check out this site: http://mcgrawphotography.zenfolio.com. A portion of the proceeds from the sale of any prints will go directly to the fundraising efforts of the Bark For Life – Lake Norman event. Thank YOU!!!
While taking pictures of the 2013 Bark For Life Charlotte event, I decided to turn my camera over to video and try my hand at a little event videography. Well, props to those people because that isn't easy! I had a shoot list all written out ahead of time and I pretty much had to abandon that right away. Despite the video not coming together as I imagined, I'm still really happy with it and I got to capture some of the cuteness that went on that day. I hope you enjoy!
If you want to see pictures from the event, don't miss the post about the event HERE.
All the technical goodness: Shot with a Canon 5D Mark 3 and 35mm f/1.4 lens (maybe a couple shots with the 50mm f/1.4). Edited with iMovie. Music rights purchased from Triple Scoop Music.
Yesterday marked a special day in history! Yesterday was the first annual Trails for Tails event benefitting Road To Home Canine Refuge and Great Dane Friends of Ruff Love. All the funds raised help with the costs associated for the care of rescued dogs while looking for loving homes. Everyone came out bright and early to participate in a 5K trail run and 1-mile Dog Walk at the US National Whitewater Center. It was a little chilly but everyone, including the dogs, had smiles on their faces!
Before I go into the details of the day, I want to thank each and every one of the participants, their pups, the volunteers, sponsors and vendors. Wow! You all really made this first-time event very special. Thank you for all you have done to support animal rescue.
Participants started registering for the 5K and Dog Walk at 7am. They got all kinds of cool swag including a t-shirt and goody bag.
As people and pups started to arrive, I got to meet some of the 4-legged participants! :)
Race time!!! I absolutely love the US National Whitewater Center and it is one of the things I'm really proud of in Charlotte. Their trail system is awesome for both running and mountain biking.
These girls were ready to run and had fun with their outfits...
Even Scooby Doo did some pre-race warm-ups!
And they're off!
As the 5K trail run was finishing up, the dogs got started on their 1-mile walk around the USNWC. 
So many dogs showed up and they had a blast circling the water at the venue.
After the walk, everyone relaxed, waited for the race results to come in, and checked out all the wonderful vendor booths. Naturally, I hung out with more pups!
Mecklenburg County Animal Care and Control announced a new program they are starting for their adoptable dogs. It's a running program that allows volunteers to take one of the adoptable dogs out on runs with them. The pups will wear an "adopt me" vest and the volunteers will be given cards with the dog's info. It's a win-win for everyone! The volunteers get to train and give back to the community while the dogs get exercise and exposure in the public. I love it!!!
Missy (I really hope I'm remembering her name correctly) is one of the pups on the new running program. Don't you want to take her on a run...or, better yet, adopt her?
The 5K race results are in!
They had the cutest medals to give to the winners of the 5K and pet contests...
Thanks again to everyone that came out Saturday morning! If you don't see your pup here, check out the entire gallery in the events section of my website: http://mcgrawphotography.zenfolio.com. Pictures will be up shortly! :)
