Record run for Doggies for Duchenne 5k

Race organizers knew the The Doggies for Duchenne 5K, held Feb. 9 in Lakewood Ranch, had raised quite a sum of money for the new Humane Society at Lakewood Ranch facility in Myakka City along with the Another Day for Gray Foundation.

How much, though, wasn’t revealed until April 4 in a special event at the new Humane Society facility.

It was a new event record of $20,637, which surpassed last year’s previous record of $17,118.

Race directors Rebekah Boudrie and Monika Oberer split the funds so both the Another Day for Gray Foundation and the Humane Society will receive $10,318.50.

The Another Day for Gray Foundation raises awareness of Duchenne muscular dystrophy, a disease that primarily affects boys in the form of progressive muscle degeneration. The namesake of Another Day for Gray, Grayson Tullio, is fighting the condition.

The donation, for him, means “that people actually care about things they don’t know about and that they’re willing to learn and help,” he said.

Tullio was at the Humane Society’s new campus to receive the oversized check, as were board members for the Humane Society, including Cindy Jackson.

Jackson was eager to show off some of the finer points of the new facility. For instance: the lime green front door, large canvases of animal themed art, and the furniture that founding member Debbie Rubin built herself.

The Humane Society repurposed a screened-in porch and made it into a playroom for cats to frolic or lounge in the sun.

There were plenty of shelves in the room so the cats could find a nook or cranny high or low.

Dogs will be housed in a separate building, Jackson noted. That large building will be insulated and temperature-controlled and will have plenty of room for kennels. Visitors might meet with potential pups in two meet-and-greet areas or a third larger playpen.

Another feature that tickled board members and volunteers of the Humane Society the most was a large, outdoor and fenced-in pasture where dogs could play.

Many of the Humane Society members had sent their own dogs to that area to play during the check presentation.

The Humane Society at Lakewood Ranch facility still has a ways to go before it opens.

Deanna Murchie, president of the Humane Society’s board, said it is still working on obtaining the proper permits from the county. She estimates it will be about a month before all the paperwork is in hand.

“I can’t even begin to speak because this has been a dream,” Murchie said about the progress of the facility. “The love that’s here… It’s amazing.”

Jackson estimated the facility will be able to hold at least 22 dogs and between 12 and 15 cats.