World-famous musician Sharon Shannon is calling on dog owners to sign up to take part in the MADRA Dogathon event which will take place on Sunday, May 17, from the Claddagh Hall in Galway city at 1pm.
The Dogathon event is a well-known meeting of mutts which last year raised almost €10,000 for dogs in need.
The charity is hoping to exceed last year's record of ‘One thousand paws on the prom’, and has urged the people of Galway to go online to register for this promenade walk which starts at the Claddagh Hall.
Speaking about the event, MADRA Chairperson Edel Comerford said: “This sponsored dog walk will not only help us to raise some much-needed funds for the dogs in our care, it will also act as an opportunity to help us celebrate responsible dog ownership.
“We also hope to welcome back some of our old MADRA residents. It is so heart-warming for us to see our former kennel residents out-and-about with their new families.
“We are always amazed by the support that we receive from the people of Galway. There are definitely a lot of dog-lovers in the city and county, so we are hopeful of an excellent turnout” she added.
To register for the event log on to www.iregister.ie/dogathon Registration is €10 per adult, €5 per child, or €25 for a family (two adults and two children ). All dogs go free but pooches are encouraged to raise sponsorship for dogs in need either online via www.idonate.ie or by requesting a sponsorship card from MADRA at [email protected]. The dog that raises the most sponsorship will be made the ‘Grand Canine Marshall’ of the Dogathon and will appear in the MADRA 2016 calendar.
Exhibitor space is also available for hire at the venue – for more information contact Eileen Keleghan on [email protected]
MADRA is a volunteer-run dog rescue and adoption charity based in Camus in Connemara. In 2014, MADRA rescued 798 dogs, the majority from local authority pounds. All MADRA dogs are rehomed with a home check and are neutered, vaccinated, micro-chipped and wormed before going to their new home. Annual running costs are in excess of €150,000 - the majority of which is made up by donations from members of the general public, fundraising events, and the two charity shops in Westside and Moycullen. For more information about MADRA log on to www.madra.ie
