BRENDA LOOPER

501PETS

Saturday may have started out as a damp and dreary day, but that didn’t stop participants at the 11th annual Paws on the Pavement from having a good time.

As runners and walkers lined up with their pooches at Murray Park in Little Rock for the start of the 1K Fun Run/Walk, the atmosphere was jovial, with dogs sniffing their neighbors while their owners chatted with old and new friends.

By that time, several of the participants had already run the 5K earlier in the morning, and were ready for a little cool-down with their best friends on four legs.

“Look, someone brought a ferret!” was heard from a voice in the watching crowd as the pack thinned once the run started, and indeed, a ferret was seen curled around its owner’s neck, watching the scenery and other walkers and runners pass.

As the participants made their way to the finish, happy dogs led their two-legged friends through the balloon arch, and volunteers plied visitors for donations to the cause — aiding Central Arkansas Rescue Effort (CARE) for Animals.

Proceeds from Paws on the Pavement benefit CARE for Animals Inc., a nonprofit animal rescue and spay/neuter organization that rescues dogs and cats facing euthanasia from local animal-control facilities.

CARE aims to decrease the number of homeless and abandoned animals through aggressive spay/neuter programs.

Since it began in 1998, the organization has rescued more than 1,852 dogs and cats, and provided 5,677 free sterilizations for pets from limited-income families, according to the group.

After awards for the 5K run were handed out, it was back to the booth area for many people, who checked out doggie fashion, the latest pet products from Petco, and the Sherwood Animal Shelter’s mobile adoption unit.

Others headed with their pooches to the agility course or the doggie carnival, or to the volleyball field to prove their mettle.

New friends and a good cause made a dreary, drizzly day a bit sunnier.

…

More information on CARE is available at (501) 603-CARE (2273), careforanimals.org/, or by e-mail at care@careforanimals.org. Race results will be posted on the CARE website in a few days, organizers say.