February 15, 2017

SFWMD Paws for a Cause Raises Thousands for Charity
Popular dog walk event brought out dozens of employees and their pets to support program matching veterans with dogs

 
Sunny, a white Labrador Retriever owned by SFWMD Science Supervisor Jill King, relaxes during the District's annual Dog Walk benefitting
the Warrior Canine Connection. Click on image to see a larger version.

West Palm Beach, FL - Employees of the South Florida Water Management District (SFWMD) and their best friends turned out in force on Saturday, February 11, for the annual "Paws for a Cause" Dog Walk event. Sponsored by SFWMD employees, the Palm Beach County Sheriff Ric Bradshaw and the Batchelor Foundation, this and other events to support the Warrior Canine Connection raised more than $35,000.

"We have so many caring employees who have a love for all animals,
  
SFWMD Governing Board Member Melanie Peterson (left) and her dogs, Presley and Nigel, visit with Palm Beach County Sheriff Ric Bradshaw and SFWMD Administrative Services Division Director Dorothy Bradshaw and their dog, Cooper, at Saturday's "Paws for a Cause" Dog Walk.
especially their pets. They organize this event and make it fun for the entire community," said SFWMD Governing Board Member Melanie Peterson. Peterson attended the event with two of her dogs, Presley and Nigel. "To spend a beautiful morning with all these pets, while raising money to help veterans who have served our country, is an honor and one of the blessings of being a part of the District."

The Warrior Canine Connection is a national non-profit organization that uses service dog training programs to provide therapy and recovery for combat veterans with traumatic brain injuries and psychological injuries such as post-traumatic stress. After working in the program since puppyhood, the highly-skilled service dogs are carefully matched to provide years of mobility and social support to veterans with disabilities. The Warrior Canine Connection gave a demonstration of its service dogs on Friday, Feb. 10, at SFWMD headquarters. SFWMD employees also entered their pets into the first annual Pet Photo Contest with 161 photo entries from 108 dogs, 47 cats and six other animals. Saturday morning's dog walk drew 80 residents walking 40 different dogs.
 
Participating companies that generously donated items to the Dog Walk included the Posh Pet Hotel, PetSmart's Lake Park store, Village Animal Clinic, Jupiter Pet Emergency and Specialty Center, Nozzle Nolen, Ramard Inc. and Pela Motorsports.
Media Contact: 
Randy Smith  |   rrsmith@sfwmd.gov    |  Office: 561-682-2800  |  Cell: 561-389-3386
The South Florida Water Management District is a regional governmental agency that manages the water resources in the southern part of the state. It is the oldest and largest of the state's five water management districts. Our mission is to protect South Florida's water resources by balancing and improving flood control, water supply, water quality and natural systems.


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