Downtown Portland is for the dogs.
A few thousand pups and their human companions descended upon Tom McCall Waterfront Park on Saturday to partake in an annual fundraiser organized by the Oregon Humane Society.
Four-legged participants at the Doggie Dash walked or ran a 2.5-mile loop that crossed the Hawthorne and Steel bridges, or chose a mellower 1.5-mile route that circled Naito Parkway and the park’s multi-use path.
At a sprawling pet-friendly festival, they tucked into treats, displayed deft maneuvers on an agility course and cooled off their paws in bright blue kiddie pools.
Their two-legged friends seemed no less enthused to be among the throng of vendors and fellow dog lovers.
“We need to do more for animals and animal welfare. Period,” said Frank So, 46, who waited in a line to have a portrait taken with his pet.
As So spoke, his dog Hoku, a collie mix rescue, polished off a snow cone served in a paper cup.
“I could really go for one of those, too,” said So, a Bethany resident. “Though probably without the beef broth.”
So said he got a half-dozen of his neighbors and their dogs to join him downtown this year, forming a group they named the Bethany Buddies.
“We might not share the same language or the same politics,” he said of his neighbors, some of whom are immigrants to the U.S. “But we all have one thing in common: our love for animals.”
The Doggie Dash, now in its 39th year, drums up financial support for a host of Oregon Humane Society services, including medical care for animals, shelter operations and adoptions.
Organizers said the event had raised nearly $450,000 as of 1 p.m. Saturday — and tuckered out more than a handful of pups.
“He’s going to be tired today,” said Chloe High, 19, as she looked lovingly at Munch, her 9-month-old Pomeranian.
The pair had just completed the 2.5-mile loop. High’s great-grandmother, Marjorie Taylor, 81, was on hand to cheer them on.
“This is so much better than a dog park,” Taylor said.
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