PACK Recap 2016 - Running with the Shelter Pups Year 3

HAPPY 2017!!

It's time for my annual post of all the pups I ran with in the past year. For those of you who are new to my blog and/or do not already know, I volunteer with the local animal shelter taking pups out on Saturday morning for a run in a nearby park. It is my favorite thing in the world to do these days and I am so glad I can share my time to help these sweet, lovable pups get ready for their furever homes.

Our group is called PACK - People and Animal Cardio Klub. This year the Washington Humane Society and the Washington Animal Rescue League combined forces and are now known as the Humane Rescue Alliance. I now volunteer at the Oglethorpe location. If you are looking for a new running buddy - please let me know!

So...picking up from where I left off last year...

One of my reoccurring running buddies the end of 2015 - 9 years young Blossom - went to foster in January and later finally went to her furever home!

Cooper was the first to go home this year, but not until after I got in another run with him

Before the shelters merged, we were still doing iPAW (sorta like individual PACK) - here I am taking sweet Nia for one of several hikes

With a massive snow storm predicted the end of January, I headed to the shelter to get some pups out before getting pent up for a few days. It started snowing while I was out with tripod Gloria and she LOVED it! 

After the snow storm, Slick Rick (no joke) was my running buddy, but luckily the roads weren't too slick that we were able to have PACK

Some weeks we have soooo many volunteers, which is fantastic, especially when you have a pup like Timpani Taylor who has trouble walking, since it took an army to take turns carrying TT

February united me with this lovey Patches for one run...

 ...and an Angel

My next iPAW adventure was with deaf Whinnie

And my next PACK run was with Zestar, who took several tries to get this selfie

There are always lots of outtakes trying to get a good picture of a pup in the car

I again ran with Angel, who really liked riding in cars

Then another iPAW outing this time with Titus

Yes, occasionally we *may* dress the pups up for photos, and some like it more than others, like Kiro here, I mean the Easter Bunny

The shelters merged in April, and I got in one PACK at the new location before heading to Bulgaria for work for two months - my running buddy Chai was ready to go

While in Bulgaria, I couldn't stay away from the pups and volunteered at a local shelter there. Check out my post about that here - PACK in Sofia

My first running buddy after returning home was Angelina, who knew shake

And then sweet Amelia who loved to lick your face

 I had the pleasure of running with one of our first returns from the new shelter, Hawthorne

Then beautiful Tesla

Polly was another returnee - full of energy as she was, one of the wonderful volunteers at OG fostered her until she found her furever home

Goofy Abelard was the first pup to join me in July

Then Eugene the horse

August brought Hakeem and I together for a run

In summer, we typically hike and then let the pups play in the creek, like Ellie here

 and Zipper

Then a few outings with Bambi


Hanging out at the turn around point in Rock Creek Park

In October I ran with Comet, who was as fast as a Comet


Then huggy Lisa

And adorable Shii

Was out of town for half of November, so only ran with one pup, Rocky

In December, we had to cancel PACK a few times, so again only one run with a pup, Bongo

Last year I ended on a sad note, so this year I'm changing that and ending on a happy note - My brother adopted one of our PACK pups in October!
Here is Tucker (formerly Smokey)