Pink-clad pooches battle breast cancer - Colorado Springs Gazette

September 08, 2012 5:58 PM

Plenty of tails wagged Saturday afternoon at Rock Ledge Ranch to support Komen Race for the Cure.

With outfits including pink feather boas, pink fairy wings, pink shirts and pink bandanas, the dogs were all dressed for the Pooches in Pink event to support the cancer-fighting charity. A few dogs strutted in pink fur or pink tutus.

?Everybody has been immediately touched by cancer,? said Maura Houston, 55. She attended Pooches in Pink with her husband and their dog, Reno.

Houston, who was recently diagnosed with breast cancer, said the race events are a great way to raise money and awareness and are a source of incredible support.

More than 200 dogs and their owners signed in for the furry precursor to the main event. Those who registered for Saturday?s walk are also registered for Sunday?s big Race for the Cure. Pets aren?t allowed to participate in the Sunday events, unless they are service animals.

It?s the fifth year for Pooches in Pink, said operations chairwoman Patty Borish, 54. ?This gets bigger every year,? she said.

The weekend of events is the main fundraiser for Susan G. Komen for the Cure of Southeastern Colorado, and most of the funds stay in the region, said race chairwoman Sharon Owen, 48. The effort is run entirely by volunteers.

?It provides us with 60 percent of our funding in one day,? said Paul Montville, executive director of Susan G. Komen for the Cure of Southeastern Colorado. ?The more we grow, the more we give away."

A quarter of the money raised through race events goes to the national level for research. Most of the money ? 75 percent ? pays for education and treatment services in El Paso, Teller and Pueblo counties.

The events also mean a lot to the families of those who have experienced breast cancer, Borish said.

?We all have a story,? Borish said.

Mary Kai Tuggle, 73, is a three-time breast cancer survivor, and spends time year round raising money to fight breast cancer. This year, she raised more than $7,000, she said.
She thought it would be fun to attend Pooches in Pink and brought her two small dogs, all decked out in pink ribbons.

But the point is to fight the disease.

?That?s the main thing,? she said, ?so my grandchildren don?t get breast cancer.?

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Source: http://www.gazette.com/articles/pink-144403-dogs-cancer.html

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