Participants in the Wags and Whiskers Walk paid $25 to sign up, and recruited sponsors to raise funds for the Glendale Humane Society and its "Second Chance" program. The Glendale Humane Society is one of the only no-kill animal shelters in the Southland, Executive Director Alice Russell said.
"This was our first time here and it has been a great turnout," Russell said, adding that last year the event was held at La Crescenta Park. "We had one group that brought in $800 in sponsors. We are definitely coming back here next year."
The turnout was big enough that the Wags and Whiskers Walk was on track to easily beat the $15,000 raised at last year's fundraiser, said Linda McMenamin, the event's coordinator.
"Right now my rough estimate is about $17,000, and we haven't even counted our silent auction and raffle proceeds," McMenamin said.
"I am estimating we will make about $20,000.
The high turnout for the Humane Society's event was a natural side effect of hosting the walk at the Harvest Market, said Montrose Shopping Park Assn. President John Drayman.
"Attendance has been steadily growing," Drayman said.
"We've become a permanent hangout for [Glendale] Councilman Rafi Manoukian, which is a good thing."
Manoukian holds his "Coffee with Rafi" community outreach events once a month at the Harvest Market.
The event has become so popular with local residents, Drayman said, that banners long the avenue have been updated with a new slogan: "Your Weekly Neighborhood Reunion."
"That is what it has become," he said.
"People come to socialize. When I was growing up in Montrose, you used to hang out with the neighborhood kids and the parents socialized too.
