PORT GAMBLE — Ann Manning of Port Gamble misses the songs her dog Murray, which she lost to cancer in October, used to sing when the sirens from fire trucks wailed past their home.
Spurred by the memory of her beloved canine, Manning became the event chairperson for Bark for Life of Kitsap County — the only cancer fundraising event involving dogs in Washington.
“He would sing. It was the weirdest thing and the closer they got the more intense he’d get. I remember trying to clamp his lips shut. It’s funny the things that you remember,” Manning said.
Dogs can officially put one paw in front of the other to fight cancer on April 18 in Port Gamble starting at 11 a.m. A new division of the American Cancer Society’s Relay for Life, Bark for Life, is geared toward the love and companionship of man’s furry, four-legged best friends.
But it’s not just for dogs.
“This isn’t an event that’s going to cure cancer for dogs,” Manning said. “It’s an event that’s hopefully going to help raise money for curing it for people and down the road being able to help the dogs. It’s an event to further education and awareness and it’s a fun way to bring attention to Relay for Life involving the puppies.”
As a noncompetitive canine walk event to raise money for cancer research, it’s not just a means to donate but its a commitment to participate that’s bringing the tiny community together.
“We have a lot of people chipping in to donate a lot of stuff. There’ll be a ton of stuff to watch. It’s in the great and wonderful town of Port Gamble, you can have lunch and wander the town afterwards,” Manning said.
There will be vendor booths offering everything from veterinary information to doggie acupuncture, a free microchip clinic (the only cost is registration) and there will be treats for the two-legged and four-legged participants, Manning said.
“When we started this several months ago, I didn’t know if we would have three people or 300 people but we needed to be kind of gauged to handle it either way and not let it get out of hand. A lot of this relies on who will show up,” Manning said.
Manning’s participation in Bark for Life is a personal mission; one to honor Murray and fight back against the disease that took him. Murray was Manning’s first dog, and she raised him from puppy to adulthood.
“Personally for me, I never watched anybody suffer with cancer and then to have my dog go from diagnosis to death in eight days was awful,” she said.
Being the first of it’s kind in the area, Bark for Life is on a learning curve. Pre-event donations and registration are encouraged.
Pre-registration can be done online at www.barkforlifeofnorthkitsap.org.
“This is the kind of thing that Murray would have had a field day with. He would have loved being able to nose around with everyone else and he would have greeted everyone personally,” Manning said.
For more information, contact Ann Manning at (360) 620-1604 or find Bark for Life of Kitsap County on Facebook.
