They Came, They Wagged, They Walked for Animals 2022!

After two years of pandemic virtual events, Walk for Animals returned in person for 2022. We weren’t sure what to expect, given the circumstances – besides some lingering covid-anxiety, we also had to contend with some new challenges this year. The Oxbow River Stage had taken over the east side of Oxbow Commons, with event storage living under the railroad overpass between their shows. We moved the start time back an hour (and boy, was it hot!). A slew of new vendors and community partners joined our booth set up, and we worried how it would go for them, and our attendees. We set a tentative goal of getting 250 pet lovers walking, and raising $80 thousand for our programs and services.

It turns out that after all our worrying, everyone had a blast! Attendees were thrilled to return to an in-person WFA, and we saw more than 350 pet lovers joining in on the fun. Awards were handed out for best costume (individual), best costume (group), and best trick. Napa Valley Coffee Roasting Company was on site to pour complimentary cups of Napa Humane’s “Best Furiends Blend” for Walkers, which is also available for sale on their website and in both Napa Valley locations. Southside Café, Sweetie Pie’s, and Clif Family provided complimentary snacks to accompany fruit for Walkers and volunteers.

At the end of the day, more than 90 fundraisers on 15 teams brought in over $74 thousand for Napa Humane through the silent auction, raffle, and day-of donations!

Dr. Mary Whitehill returned for her 11th Walk, and once again claimed the crown as the reigning individual fundraising champ. Her Team Kimba also kept their title of top team fundraiser. The Board Walkers (an alliance of Napa Humane board members) and Team Pineapple rounded out the top 3 teams for total dollars raised.

We are so lucky (and grateful!) to have amazing local photographers donate their talent each year to capture all of the fun. You can check out our amazing Walk for Animals photo albums by Seymour & McIntosh, and Caitlin O’Reilly Photography here, and (re)live some of the most heart-warming and hilarious moments.

We could not have pulled off this event without the nearly 100 volunteers that came out to set up, guide Walkers, clean up and generally make things happen. Thank you so much to Debbie Kmiec and the Rainbow Girls, Bill Bennett and the Rotary Club of North Napa who guided Walkers along the route and helped with dog waste clean up, our logistics lead Gordon Smith, the UBS Compass Point Financial Group who stuffed Walker goodie bags, Napa CERT for helping on the route, and everyone else who dedicated their time before, during, and after the event.

We can’t begin to tell you how much we appreciate your hard work on behalf of Napa Valley’s companion animals! Truly, you all help make Napa Humane.