During the time when I was being raised in Seal Beach, my family life always included having a dog.
Whether my mom brought home a cute puppy from the pet shop or my sister brought home a stray she would happen to come upon, our family always had a dog.
Ohanna, our most recent family dog of seven years, has been a member of the Seal Beach Community just as I have.
Ohanna goes everywhere, from the coffee shops on Seal Beach’s Main Street to the Bay Hardware Store, Ohanna likes to visit. With her friendly demeanor and her beautiful long brown fur, she is an eye catcher.
What else could I say? She is a part of my family.
Most people find it hard to believe that Ohanna is a mutt.
It’s even harder to believe my sister found her as a puppy, dirty and unloved.
Ohanna has been the best member of our family ever since. That is a part of why I am a big advocate of adopting an animal. Adopted animals, especially dogs in my opinion, make the best pets.
Needless to say, whether you’re a cat or dog person, it’s a universal belief that all animals deserve a good home.
So if you want to do your part to help out our little four legged friends, the Seal Beach Animal Care Center is holding it’s 16th annual “Wag n Walk” at 10 a.m. on Oct. 1.
The Seal Beach Animal Care Center is where many of our homeless four-footed friends live.
Their eyes are always wide open, looking forward, asking for love.
Trade places with them in your mind for a moment and then tell me you have never cried about one of God’s creatures.
We are all part of that miracle.
The “Wag n Walk,” which includes a one-mile walk is a great dating opportunity for your little pal to meet and greet with the local canines and discuss important things like favorite fire hydrants and brand of dog biscuits.
The event will take place at Eisenhower Park, next to the Seal Beach Pier where generous folks will make pledge donations in the forms of individual and team donations.
Local businesses have already showed they give a bark and a meow for their four legged counterparts.
These companies and charity orgainzations include the Seal Beach Race, Sea Air Credit Union, Huntington Beach Animal Hospital and Huggins/Dreckman Insurance Agency.
No great fundraiser is complete without a silent auction so they’ve got one of those too with goods and services from local business.
If that wasn’t enough to have you crawling on hands and knees to this event, the Seal Beach Lion Club is having one of their infamous barbecues. Long Board Vintage ice cream will also be selling its rather delicious frozen treats, donating a portion of the proceeds to the Animals Care Center.
In all seriousness, the Seal Beach Animal Care Center helps find more than 600 animals a home every year.
Meanwhile, If you have ever lost a pet, the shelter also aids in returning the animal to its rightful owner – or family. So please people, come down and help out the people who’ve been trying to hold it together for furry friends since 1988.
Ohanna and others like her, will be glad you did.
Jake Tellkamp is a longtime resident of Seal Beach and a student at Orange Coast College.
