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Bellevue, Washington, Sept. 21, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Pet Partners, the nation’s leading organization registering therapy animals for animal-assisted interventions, is excited to announce the 4th annual World’s Largest Pet Walk will take place on Saturday, September 25, 2021. Thousands of people around the world are invited to get out their walking shoes and grab their leashes for the celebration, with a goal to raise more than $100,000. This event is for everyone who wants to enjoy the health benefits of being active with pets, while also fundraising to support Pet Partners and their Therapy Animal Program.
New this year, Pet Partners is honoring a therapy animal team as their National Walk Champions for the World’s Largest Pet Walk. Congratulations to handler Roslyn Lindeman and her therapy dog Abbey, who have raised more than $10,000 through their fundraising efforts and look forward to walking with their family in Florida.
Participants are encouraged to walk at any time and location on Saturday, September 25. Whether participants gather with friends and family for a casual stroll around the block, lead a group walk in their community, or take a quiet hike with their animal, Pet Partners is excited for people to take steps with their pets. The walk is an excellent opportunity for employee engagement and corporate support, such as Blue Shield of California, who will be supporting the event for a second consecutive year, and Dog Is Good for Good, which is forming a walk team for the first time this year!
“It’s important to recognize just how important pets are, not only to our emotional health, but also to physical health and well-being,” said C. Annie Peters, President and CEO of Pet Partners. “Research has shown that pet owners, particularly dog owners, are more likely to meet the recommended amount of physical activity through walking. On average, dog owners walk one hour more per week compared to those who don’t have dogs.”
While Pet Partners already has the Walk With Me™ initiative in which registered therapy animal teams coordinate group walks in their community to support movement for health, the World’s Largest Pet Walk was created to encourage worldwide participation with pets of all kinds, all on one specific day.
“For those who have pets, they are able to benefit from walking regularly with them. For those who do not, walking with a therapy animal can be a great source of stress relief and stimulus to lead a healthier lifestyle,” added Peters.
There is no registration fee to walk in the World’s Largest Pet Walk, but Pet Partners encourages supporters to fundraise in honor of their participation. Those interested can visit www.worldslargestpetwalk.org to learn more, sign up, and create their online fundraising page. Pet Partners encourages participants to share photos of their walk on social media using the hashtag #WorldsLargestPetWalk. As a special thank you to those who fundraise, Pet Partners is offering incentives such as pet bandannas, commemorative t-shirts, and more.
Funds raised through the World’s Largest Pet Walk support Pet Partners’ Therapy Animal Program, which is made up of visiting therapy animal teams who bring comfort and joy to members of the public, typically in facility settings such as hospitals, nursing homes, schools, libraries, airports, and at workplace well-being events. Pet Partners teams make more than 3 million visits per year, touching lives and improving health around the world.
For more information on the World’s Largest Pet Walk, please contact Jamie Baxter at [email protected] or visit www.worldslargestpetwalk.org.
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About Pet Partners
Pet Partners is the national leader in demonstrating and promoting the health and wellness benefits of animal-assisted therapy, activities, and education. Since the organization’s inception in 1977, the science proving these benefits has become indisputable. With more than 10,000 registered teams making more than 3 million visits annually, Pet Partners serves as the nation’s most diverse and respected nonprofit registering handlers of multiple species as volunteer teams. Pet Partners teams visit with patients in recovery, people with intellectual disabilities, seniors living with Alzheimer’s, students, veterans with PTSD, people who have experienced crisis events, and those approaching end of life, with the goal of improving human health and well-being through the human-animal bond. With the release of its Standards of Practice for Animal-Assisted Interventions and international expansion, Pet Partners is globally recognized as the industry gold standard. For more information on Pet Partners, visit www.petpartners.org.
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