PAWS of Bainbridge stages a pooch-centered extravaganza.
It has been said that after living companionably for years on end, some people start to look like their spouses. Or their pets.
Bainbridge Island’s home-grown center for pet services and advocacy wants to capitalize on that phenomenon for a cause. Or rather, a PAWS.
And with the Sept. 15 Accentuate the PAWSitive benefit now entering its sixth successful year, PAWS of Bainbridge Executive Director Judy Hartstone said it’s bigger and better than ever.
“If you change the connector from ‘or’ to ‘and,’ you get a sense of the extravaganza this year,” she said.
Hartstone is referring to the collection of events that constitute the half-day celebration of canines and their owners, which include a photo competition and pet portraiture; contests in categories like waggiest tail and most talented; a dog walk through town; and a mustard tasting and barbecue.
Past years’ benefits have included various combinations of events, but never, until now, all of them together.
The day’s proceeds go toward PAWS’ mission to provide emergency veterinary work to needy pets along with a free spay/neuter program for pets of low-income pet owners and a pet rescue and adoption program. Hartstone estimates that PAWS assists roughly 2,000 pets each year throughout Bainbridge and North Kitsap.
“Sometimes, it’s just a matter of helping a pet owner understand or modify their pet’s behavior; other times, it’s a life or death issue as an injured pet needs emergency vet work,” she said.
It all started on the Fourth of July, 2002 when T&C held the original mustard tasting – with corn dog dippers – and donated the proceeds to PAWS. The funny thing was, Hartstone didn’t even know about the market’s plans.
So she got in touch to formalize and expand the fundraiser for the following year, and it hasn’t stopped since.
Hartstone, who said this year’s event name occurred to her in a “flash of fun” one day, credits a robust volunteer effort with this year’s expansion. Dog walk organizer Mindy Anderson, for example, has even sent planning missives from her African vacation.
Hartstone’s funniest memories include the year a man dressed in silver and curled his hair to match his poodle. Or the time a woman wandered into the competition having unintentionally dressed in brown, black and white to match her Australian shepherd. She won.
Very occasionally, the crowd gets tough, like the time “one little macho, tiny dog decided he was going to take all the other dogs on.”
Hartstone saw the wee pooch take flight and managed to save him from his self-induced fate.
“I literally grabbed this dog out of the air,” she said. “He was about to get pounced by another dog. Nobody even knew what was going on. It was a heart-stopper.”
Aside from that incident and the year that contest judges nearly came to blows over the best look-alike, Hartstone says most participants – human and canine – behave themselves on their special day.
With the event combo and amped-up volunteer effort, Hartstone hopes to top last year’s proceeds of nearly $3,000. She also has lots of ideas for future events including an agility demo, and a police dog demo and more booths.
“Each one of those is exciting on its own,” she said. “And so you put it all together, and we’re hoping for an explosion of excitement.”
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Dogs on parade
Accentuate the PAWSitive, to benefit PAWS of Bainbridge Island, takes place from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Sept. 15 in the T&C north parking lot and at the Waterfront Park stage. Events include Hold That Pose pet portraiture; the Picture Your Pet photo contest; a dog walk; and a mustard tasting hot dog barbecue. Deadline for photo contest submissions is Sept. 10, and pre-registration and pledge collection for the dog walk run through Sept. 13. Mail or deliver pledges to the PAWS adoption center, 8820 Miller Road; participants can also drop pledges at the registration desk at T&C starting at 10 a.m. Entry forms are at www.pawsbainbridge.org. Call 842-2451 to volunteer for the event.
