WHEN: Saturday, Feb. 16
TIME: 9 a.m. – noon
LOCATION: Sugden Regional Park, 4284 Avalon Drive, East Naples
SUMMARY: Bring your furry friend to Sugden Park on Feb. 16 for some heart-healthy fun at the Collier County Sheriff’s Office Take A New Leash On Life dog walk.
CCSO, together with its partners at Collier County Parks and Recreation, Collier County Domestic Animal Services and the American Heart Association are inviting pet owners to participate in the event, which runs from 9 a.m. until noon. Proceeds will benefit the AHA. There is a suggested donation of $5 per dog.
The path is approximately 1.5 miles in length and participants are free to drop by anytime during the event 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.
Think you have the cutest pooch? Sign him or her up for the cutest dog contest! At 11 a.m. The three cutest dogs will be named “Best In Show” by local survivors of heart disease.
CCSO representatives will also be on hand to talk about various ways to stay safe, and animal rescue organizations will be out and about with some adoptable pups.
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. 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 and the AHA have a close partnership. Thanks to the generosity of the AHA, if you or a loved one goes into cardiac arrest in Collier County, help is as close as the nearest deputy. That’s because 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.
Click here to view and print the event flier.
For more information about the “Take A New Leash On Life” dog walk, contact event coordinator Kristi Lester at 239-252-0604, or Kristi.Lester@colliersheriff.org.
