Scores of people, the majority of whom had dogs by their side, ran along the Long Beach shoreline on Saturday, Feb. 17 — for a good cause.
The second annual Bob Long Memorial Mutt Run was organized by the small Signal Hill Rotary Club to raise money for Long Beach Animal Care Services. The event featured three divisions: a humans-only 5K, and then a humans-and-dogs 5K and 1K.
The goal was to raise about $2,000, said Rotary Club President Leslie Young. The majority — 70% — would go to LBACS, while the rest would be used on a community project, according to the Rotary Club website.
Young came up with the idea for the Mutt Run in June 2022. He and his wife had gotten a rescue dog during the pandemic. But then he learned that the Long Beach shelter had reached capacity, in the wake of people returning pets once the pandemic eased.
“I decided I needed to do something,” Young said in a Friday interview. “Every single one of our members has a dog, so they were on board.”
The event’s namesake, Bob Long, was a former Signal Hill Rotary Club president, and a longtime community philanthropist and animal advocate. He died in 2022 just shy of his 90th birthday, Young said.
The inaugural Mutt Run attracted around 115 people and raised $1,000, Young said. As of Friday morning, 187 people had registered to participate in the second iteration — with all but 47 of them set to run with their dogs.
The Mutt Run also featured a post-race festival that included multiple vendors and an LBACS adoption event.
The money that goes to LBACS will help support the agency’s “Compassion Saves” mission, according to a city press release.
“This mission focuses on providing outreach, education, guidance, and support services to both the people and animals of our community,” the release said. “By participating in this event, you are directly contributing to this meaningful cause.”
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