Lions Club to hold annual Dog Walk

Dog owners are invited to cruise with their pooches around a scenic Columbia County pond Saturday.

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The Evans Lions Club is holding its annual Dog Walk from 9 a.m. until noon Saturday at the Memorial Gardens behind the Columbia County Library.

The fund-raiser will benefit the Leader Dogs for the Blind and the club's Project Courage, which provides stuffed lions to emergency personnel for children in distress. Since the club's formation in early 2007, it has donated about 400 stuffed lions to area first responders, said Dan Bernhardt, event organizer and club secretary.

It costs $10 to enter a dog, and owners are given a leash. Bernhardt said there will be organized and guided walks around the pond every half hour.

"They (dog owners) can take a leisurely stroll around the pond," Bernhardt said.

The event also will feature canine demonstrations from area trainers and possibly from the Columbia County Sheriff's Office Canine Unit with the ID-A-Child program.

There also will be a raffle for gift certificates, among other items, and a silent auction featuring dog-related merchandise.

Prizes will be awarded for the best-dressed dog and the dog participant who raises the most money.

All dogs must be on leashes.

For more information, contact Bernhardt at (706) 210-3718 or Parris Sparks at (706) 823-4118.