Hundreds of humans and their canines descended upon Breck Community Park in Grove City on Oct. 3 to participate in Ted Berry’s annual 5K-9 Dog Rescue Walk/Run. Established in 2016, the event has raised thousands for the special needs rescue group Speak! for the Unspoken and the Mid-Ohio Foodbank. This year, more than 500 participants helped raise $16,000 in donations and goods for both organizations. Impressed by the effort of the humans was Paige, a 3-year-old double merle Australian Shepherd, who wanted to check out the second haul of donated bags of food. The unofficial ambassador of Speak! for the Unspoken is deaf due to improper breeding. Tom Valletta, her “foster fail parent,” said they often bring her to events like these to spread the word about responsible breeding and remind people that special needs dogs deserve love and good homes too.
