ADOPT's walkathon attracts hundreds of people, pooches

This is the city, Naperville, Illinois.

More than 145,000 people live here and many of them own dogs.

Most of those pooches are happy and healthy, but occasionally one needs help.

That's where I come in. I carry a rawhide.

It was late April and we were working the walkathon beat out of the K-9 division. My partner's a retriever named Rover. I'm a basset hound. My name's Friday.

My partner had just finished with the morning paper when the call came in from the president of Animals Deserving of Proper Treatment, a no-kill shelter currently in its 20th year. She said she wanted to talk.

Rover grabbed our collars. I grabbed our leashes. We trotted over with just a quick stop at a sycamore tree.

Sandy Boston has been president of ADOPT for five years. There's something about her last name that reminds me of a pretty little terrier I knew back East.

We padded inside.

Sit, she said. We obeyed. Shake, she said. We did.

Thanks for coming, she said.

Woof, I said. Just the facts, ma'am, just the facts.

Boston wanted us to know about the 17th annual Makin' Strides for Strays Walkathon, the group's largest fundraiser of the year.

The 5K stroll is scheduled for Sunday, May 2, beginning and ending at 5th Avenue Station mall, 200 E. Fifth Ave. The walk will take participants through downtown and surrounding neighborhoods with plenty of water and rest stops along the way.

Registration begins at 7:30 a.m. and the walk steps off an hour later, following by a quick Blessing of the Animals. Mayor George Pradel, as always, will lead the procession. We like to call him "The Little Bulldog."

There will be vendors on hand, too, selling doggy treats and bandannas and other animal-related items. In addition, Boston said, there will be booths showcasing ADOPT's programs, from foster care and volunteer opportunities to clinics for spaying and neutering.

That last bit got Rover's attention. He had been riveted on a rabbit outside the window, but when he heard the magic word he started scratching like a whole colony of fleas had just moved into a condo on his left hip.

Ruff, I said, and urged Boston to continue.

Last year's walk raised $63,000, she told us, up from $55,000 the year before.

"Our dream is to hit $70,000 this year," she said, "but I'm not sure we'll get there."

There's no registration fee, but participants are expected to solicit pledges. Proceeds go to operate the shelter at 420 Industrial Drive, Naperville, and to enhance ongoing programs. But mostly it goes to provide veterinarian services.

Because it's a private no-kill pet shelter, ADOPT takes a lot of dogs and - shudder! - even cats from places such as DuPage and Aurora animal control. (Most animals that wind up at Naperville animal control are quickly claimed by their owners, Boston said.)

Many of the creatures that find their way to ADOPT's doors are getting a little long in the canine, if you know what I mean. Others, Boston said, may need surgery or have medical issues such as heartworm.

With the mention of heartworm, Rover had to lay down and Boston offered us a bowl of water. Rover started licking his chops like he was in an Alpo commercial or found a toilet with the seat up, but I froze him with a look. We don't drink on duty.

Woof, I said. Let's get back to it, ma'am.

Boston said last year's walk attracted 800 people and roughly 350 dogs ranging in size from Great Danes to lap dogs that, if they were human, almost certainly would wear pocket protectors.

One year, somebody even dyed their poodle pink and blue. I rolled my eyes, but I still wrote it down. That'll get a laugh, I thought, when we report back to the chief and share some kibble with the bloodhounds on the night shift.

Rover was smearing his nose all over the window, checking out a robin, when Boston said something that snapped us both to attention.

"Occasionally there's even a cat that shows up," she said.

Boston isn't sure a feline will dare show its face this time around, but she hopes as many as 1,000 people will participate in the stroll.

That sounded like a lot so I leaned forward to make sure I heard her right. She scratched me behind my right ear. I may have drooled.

"It's a little ambitious," she said, "but you never know."

ADOPT opened its current shelter seven years ago. It provides kennel space for 40 dogs and cages for as many as 100 cats. There's even space for puppies.

Boston said the shelter occasionally takes in other creatures, too. There were a couple birds a while back, and a ferret lived there for a week before one of the group's 200-plus volunteers claimed it.

It's sad, but some of the creatures spend a long time waiting to find the perfect human.

"We hold on to animals as long as it takes to find the right home," Boston said.

The good news - better than even chasing a squirrel up a tree - is that ADOPT seems to have a lot of luck placing older animals with loving humans. Sometimes it's with couples whose kids have moved out of the house. Sometimes it's with singles looking for a companion.

No matter what the case, though, the agency has people who screen families to make sure they know what they're getting into, Boston said, and that their home will be appropriate for whatever animal they're adopting.

I glanced over and caught a glimpse of Rover shaking his tail the way he does when he's eager to, uh, go for a walk.

I looked at Boston to see if there was anything else she wanted to spill before we finished our interrogation and filed our official report back at the doghouse. She scratched that special spot on my chest and my left hind leg started thumping like Ringo Starr.

Woof, I said.

There didn't seem to be much more for us to do. Boston and her cohorts seemed to have everything about the walkathon pretty much under control. The only thing left for them to do is hope for nice weather.

She led us to the door. I promised her I'd be there May 2 and so would Rover. It's easy to be cynical in this job, but it's always nice to find people who believe it really doesn't have to be a dog-eat-dog world.

I let my guard down and gave her a little wet kiss on the cheek. She smiled.

Preparing for the walkathon can be a little stressful, she said, but in the end it's always worth it. Most everyone has a good time and the dogs all seem to get along. Maybe it's because they know it means there will always be a safe place for guys like Rover and me, even if we get lost or lose our youthful good looks and our muzzles turn a little too gray.

"The best part of the walk is when you see all the dogs coming in," Boston said. "That's the rewarding thing."

Woof, I said.

Rover and I both wagged our tails and then we turned and trotted off toward home.

Race you to the sycamore tree, he said.

And we did.

If you goWhat: 17th annual Makin' Strides for Strays WalkathonWhen: Registration starts at 7:30 a.m. Sunday, May 2Where: 5th Avenue Station mall, 200 E. Fifth Ave., Naperville; walk goes through neighborhoods and downtown Cost: No registration fee but walkers must solicit donations for ADOPTInfo: adoptpetshelter.orgFalse20001164ADOPT opened its current shelter seven years ago. It has space for 40 dogs and roughly 100 cats.Brain Hill | Staff Photographer, 2005False