A fairly new event, the second annual Doggy Dash was held at Purple Sage Elementary School on Saturday, March 4 from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. Originally proposed by Student Council (StuCo), the event involved the participation of multiple clubs and honor societies, as well as local neighborhoods where the event was to take place. The event was directed to support the local Austin Animal Shelter, where both donations of supplies and money would raised for those held in the Shelter.

Planning for the event began at the start of the new year. StuCo officers started off their planning by focusing on which organization they planned to support; last year, they donated to the U.S. Military dogs. However, due to several complications and expenses, the officers decided to go local and target those in the local shelters.

“This year we decided to go on a smaller scale and tried to encourage more people to come. We were going to support U.S. Military dogs], but because there were some conflicts, we then decided to go with an animal shelter instead,” Brittany Lee ‘17 said. “We picked Austin Animal Shelter because they were already supporting Student Protection of Animal Rights (SPAR) club, and so we decided if we collaborate with them, we could make an even better project.”

Apart from making multiple banners, flyers, and announcements, the officers, along with other StuCo members, made a visit to the Purple Sage Elementary neighborhood to distribute flyers and information pertaining to the event. They also placed boxes around the school for students willing to make donations to the event.

“We distributed six hundred twenty-five flyers around the Purple Sage neighborhood, which really increased awareness about our event. As for donations, we asked for supplies that could support the homeless animals and the Austin Animal Center,” Lee said. “We thought that the donations could really benefit them because they are a no-kill animal center, so they need as much help as they can get.”

The day of the event itself flew by quickly. Volunteers from clubs and honor societies met up at the volunteers booth, where they were assigned to specific locations, whether it be the water or the doggy treat station. However, due to the rainy weather, most students, volunteers, and attendees remained in the indoor area, where face paint, crafts, and food were available for both dogs and participants.

“Einstein’s bagels donated doggy bagels for the dogs that the dogs really enjoyed,” Alice Zhang ‘20 said. “For our supply drive, we got a couple donations; it’s still continuing through this week, so it would be great getting more donations for that.”

Also held indoors was the doggy fashion show, where dogs were presented in front of the judges and judged within specific categories. The five categories, ranging from “Best Dressed” to “Best Attitude,” gave a chance for each of the dogs to show off their best qualities and win a blue ribbon of recognition.

“Picking the winners was hard because the dogs were all so cute and talented,” Sarah Wang ‘20 said. “The most memorable part was when we gave out prizes at the end and each dog got a box of doggie bagels. They all got so excited.”

Despite the rain, the event ended successfully. StuCo has raised awareness and received donations for the Austin Animal Shelter while also providing an opportunity for students to interact with other students and their pets.