Mutt Strut coming Saturday

May 20. 2012
This May will mark the second year that Pawsitive Works has sponsored the ever popular community "Mutt Strut," a 5k dog run. On May 26 at 9 a.m. dogs and humans will take off from the fairgrounds to run or walk along the scenic Kootenai River.
 
The course turn around point will have water for dogs and humans as well as at the finish line. After the run, make sure to stick around for some fun doggie contests.
 
You can dress your dog for the ‘best dressed’ category, perform one ‘best trick,' or if you look like your dog then ‘dog that looks most like his human’ is the category for you.
 
There will be fun prizes and raffles.
 
Registration forms can be found at the Groove Studio or at www.pawsitiveworks.com.
 
Registration starts at 8 a.m. and the run starts at 9 a.m. Cost is $10 dog/human team and $20 for a family.  All proceeds go to support Pawsitive Works, a 501c3 non-profit organization. 
 
What is Pawsitive Works?
 
When we tell people that we pair at risk youth with shelter dogs in a program that “Shapes Both Ends of the Leash” – people nod and smile – but they don’t really “get it!”
 
We often compare the program to prison inmates training dogs and people begin to get the idea of what we do.
 
Youth are referred to the program from juvenile justice agencies, private and public schools.  Most have problem behaviors and benefit from learning valuable life lessons.
 
Youth are assigned a dog from a community shelter to train three times a week for five weeks. We try to match “like” with “like.” For example, shy dogs with shy youth. The youth work to overcome shyness by encouraging the dog to come out of its shell, in the process of providing the shelter dogs much needed enrichment and better behavior.
 
Youth are every community’s future. Helping them to learn empathy, increase self-esteem and understand behavior modification are keys to helping them become productive members of society.
 
Many shelters lack the staff and/or funding to provide training or enrichment programs for their dogs. The training, love and attention that the dogs in the program receive are beneficial to the mental health of the dog. Pawsitive Works helps these overlooked and hard to adopt dogs become more adoptable.
 
Each five week program session culminates with a graduation ceremony where the youth can hand over their training dogs to the new adoptive families. There is typically never a dry eye in the room.
 
Pawsitive Works is operating in Sandpoint and Coeur d’Alene as well as Spokane. In September, 2012, the program will be starting in Boise. Pawsitive Works has a heartfelt desire to serve the youth and canines of Boundary County.
 
To find out more about the program visit www.pawsitiveworks.com.