Tuesday, September 21, 2010

‘Take A New Leash On Life,’ Collier County!

WHAT: “Take A New Leash On Life” dog walk

WHEN: Saturday, Oct. 2

TIME: 8 a.m. – 11 a.m.

LOCATION: North Collier Regional Park, 15000 Livingston Road, North Naples

SUMMARY: The Collier County Sheriff’s Office and the American Heart Association want Collier County residents and their furry friends to help stay heart healthy by getting up and getting active!

CCSO will sponsor its first dog walk fundraiser. All collected donations will go to the American Heart Association to benefit the 2010 Collier Heart Walk.

There is a suggested minimum donation of $10 to participate. The first 100 people to make the minimum donation will receive a special thank-you gift.

The walk will begin at the boardwalk behind the Administration/Fitness Center. The path is approximately 1-mile in length and there will be several water and doggy deposit stations located throughout. Participants are free to drop by anytime to either stroll or jog with their pet.

Residents and their dogs will also have the opportunity to meet and take pictures with the event’s ‘Dog of Honor’ McGruff the Crime Dog and representatives from the CCSO K-9 Unit and Bomb Squad.

Animal rescue organizations including Collier County Domestic Animal Services will also be on hand with adoptable pups and to discuss proper pet care.

Regan Goldberg, AHA vice president of Southwest Florida Field Operations, said people who don’t get enough physical activity are much more likely to develop health problems. Nearly 2,400 Americans die each day due to heart and blood vessel disease and an additional 79 million adult Americans live with them.

Goldberg emphasized that moderate-intensity physical activity such as taking your dog for a brisk walk or jog can lower your risk of heart disease, heart attack, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, obesity, diabetes, and stroke.

The CCSO wholeheartedly supports the AHA because, due to the organization’s generosity, if you or a loved one goes into cardiac arrest in Collier County, help is as close as the nearest deputy.

All CCSO patrol cars are equipped with an automated external defibrillator (AED). An AED is a portable electronic device that treats sudden cardiac arrest by using electrical therapy to re-establish a heart rhythm. These life-saving pieces of equipment were purchased with donations to the AHA.

Lives are being saved as a result of this partnership.

The CCSO gives special thanks to Collier County Parks and Recreation for arranging the walk to take place at North Collier Regional Park.

Click here to view and print the event flier.

To register in advance, or for more information about the “Take A New Leash On Life” dog walk, contact event coordinator and CCSO Public Information Officer Kristi Lester at 239-793-9145, or Kristi.Lester@colliersheriff.org.

If you would like to help CCSO with its fundraising goal, but are unable to attend the event, donations may also be mailed to:

Kristi Lester
Public Affairs Bureau
Collier County Sheriff’s Office
3301 U.S. 41 East, Bldg. J-1
Naples, Fl 34112

Please make any checks or money orders payable to the American Heart Association.