Canine Club Hosts Costumed 5k For Dogs

MOSCOW -Last Friday, April 11th, was national pet day and the city of Pullman celebrated accordingly. Dog lovers of Pullman and surrounding areas gathered at McGee park on Saturday for the annual Canine Canter 5, where Dogs and their owners donned colorful costumes as they prepared to race.

“I love dressing up the dogs and I love seeing all the other dogs dressed up.  We’re dog people so we absolutely love everything to do with dogs,” 5k participant Bailey Page said.  

The event is organized by WSU’s college of veterinary medicine who added a sponsor to the event for the first time this year.

“So, the Canine Canter has been going on for years and years and this year we kind of wanted to revamp it a little bit. We got approached by Royal Canin for them to sponsor it this year,” Canine Club president Amber Howarth said.  

The College of Veterinary Medicinedonates five dollars per competitor to the Whitman county humane society which is a big reason why Royal Canin got involved.

“The Fact that this event benefits our local shelter was a huge motivation,” Royal Canin Ambassador Chantelle Khambohlja said.  “Royal Canin loves sponsoring community-based events that especially give back in such a meaningful way.”

The first-place winner of the event took home three months-worth of Royal Canin Dogfood. College of Veterinary Medicine alum Mandy Barnes returns to Pullman for this event and says the event is important for maintaining an animal-friendly community.

“There’s a lot of people that love their animals and any chance you can have to get your dog out and go do something with them, it’s good,” Barnes said.  “It’s good for the people, it’s good for the dogs, [and it’s] good for the community. I think people really enjoy being a part of a community that’s dog friendly.”

EDITOR’S NOTE: The video was aired on a previous broadcast.