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Wiggle Waggle Walk and Reflections on Dog Adoption
News Sep 30, 2015
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Macy. – Photo by Ea Nicole Madrigal
By Ea Nicole Madrigal
The end of this year marks two years since I visited the Pasadena Humane Society and found a scruffy, skinny spaniel-collie mix, or she found me. At just around six months old, the Humane Society informed me that she was found in the streets of Arcadia with no tags, no microchip, and she was very shy (even unsociable). Two years later, this dog and I just returned from the annual Wiggle Waggle Walk where she happily greeted and walked alongside dogs of different types and sizes, many of whom had their start just like her.
Macy, this once-scruffy and skinny dog, found a forever home. She was the first dog I ever adopted from a humane society. And now, I’ll always be sure to adopt again from a rescue or humane society and encourage my loved ones to do the same.
Raising a rescue dog is not always easy. I am not a dog expert, by far. Each dog, as I learned over time, has its own personality and own habits (both good and those “in need of work”). Macy is still very cautious around certain people and dogs. But as she sits behind me peeking over my shoulder and chewing on her toy, I know she’s content.
In the last few years, the Pasadena Humane Society went through extensive renovations to their facilities across the street from Central Park in Old Town Pasadena. In fact, if you go to the park at the right time, you’ll likely bump into some of their volunteers walking the dogs up for adoption.
Each year, the Pasadena Humane hosts the Wiggle Waggle Walk at Brookside Park, a celebration of all things dog. With vendors promoting dog and human related items, music, games, and prizes, the Walk has a little something for everyone in the family to enjoy, especially if you are a dog.
This year, hundreds of participants showed up and walked the course around the Rose Bowl. Although not a prerequisite to walk, most people always bring along their dog. These walkers and their dogs come from across Los Angeles in an effort to promote dog adoption and their humane treatment.
Since I found Macy two years ago, I’ve volunteered my early morning time each Wiggle Waggle Walk to help set up for the morning-long event. I plan to continue doing so for many years to come; it’s a small way to show my appreciation for an organization that gives their time, energy, and expertise to provide humane treatment to all animals, and hopefully, finds them – like Macy – a forever home.
This year’s Wiggle Waggle Walk was a success and emphasized the importance of adoption and humane care for all animals is, and always will be. We will never know what our furry friends are truly thinking or want to express to us. But I tell Macy every day how much I love her. This appreciation for my dog can be traced back to what began two Decembers ago at the Pasadena Humane Society.
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