Walk for the Dogs at the Southeastern Guide Dogs Walkathon

Get ready for a paw-some time at Dog’s Day Out, the Southeastern Guide Dogs 2023 Walkathon! This year’s exciting, in-person event will be held at Vinoy Park on Saturday, March 11 and Gadsden Park on Saturday, March 25, and it will be a blast! Sponsored by Fromm Family Pet Food, the event is free and perfect for families and furry friends.

The day starts with registration at 9:00 a.m., followed by a 3K walk at 10:00 a.m. Can’t make the walk? No problem! You can still join the fun at the Waggin’ Tails Festival, with music, food, vendors, and even a chance to win $1,000 in the onsite raffle drawing. And the best part, besides all the dogs? Admission is free!

At 11:30 a.m., there will be a prize drawing for $1,000 in cash, and if you can’t make it to the event, don’t worry—you can still get in on the excitement by purchasing tickets for the $10,000 grand prize raffle drawing on June 2, 2023. The drawing will be webcast live on the Southeastern Guide Dogs Facebook page at 1:00 p.m. EST.

Love to run? Dog’s Day Out coincides with the Paws 4 Heroes 5K run. This volunteer-led event will take place at Gadsden Park prior to the start of the Tampa Walkathon. Visit the MacDill’s Paws for Heroes 5K run website for additional information and to register.

The Walkathon is Southeastern Guide Dogs’ biggest fundraiser of the year, and all proceeds go towards breeding, raising, training, and matching amazing dogs with people with vision loss, veterans with disabilities, and children with significant challenges. The Palmetto-based nonprofit has been helping people since 1982 and has created over 3,300 guide- and service-dog teams, all provided at no cost. Today, they serve and support more than 1,200 puppies and dogs and over 600 active teams throughout the United States.

Southeastern Guide Dogs has some of the best instructors and facilities in the world. The organization is always in need of volunteer puppy raisers and donations to continue their mission, and the Walkathon is a fun way to show your support and raise funds too.

At the event, you’ll find vendors like Fromm Family Pet Food, Subaru of America, and Elanco, as well as local supporters like Publix Super Markets Charities, GTE Financial, IP Capital Partners, and the Tampa Bay Times. DJ Stepchild, aka Sean Brown, a veteran and a graduate of Southeastern Guide Dogs, will provide the soundtrack for the day.

Bring your four-legged friend, check out pet boutiques, and more. Just remember, dogs must be friendly and on a non-retractable leash.

Jennifer Bryan heads up the Walkathon for Southeastern Guide Dogs and says, “We can’t wait to see you at Walkathon! These events are so important for raising awareness and funds for our mission, and we’re looking forward to spending the day with our supporters, sponsors, and fundraisers.”

You can help change the world, one dog and one life at a time. To join in on the fun or learn more about Southeastern Guide Dogs, call (941) 729-5665 or visit GuideDogsWalkathon.org. See you at Walkathon!