Good dogs on good friday

By Zander Kelly

What do dogs and eggs have in common? They were involved in the Easter Egg Hunt for Dogs.

The fundraising event, hosted by National Service Dogs, was held at Malden Park on Good Friday from 11 a.m. to noon.

During the event, hundreds of plastic eggs with dog treats hidden inside were scattered all over Malden Park and not a single one appeared to be left behind when the dogs were done.

Dozens of owners and dogs were in attendance with breeds ranging from tiny Chihuahuas to towering Irish Wolfhounds, all with the goal of finding eggs and raising money for National Service Dogs.

Rino Bortolin, City councillor of Ward 3 and Liberal Party Windsor-West candidate, said this event is one he has attended for the past five years.

“My dog Ollie comes along and my kids run up and down the mountain looking for the Easter eggs,” said Bortolin. “It’s a great way to get exercise in the early morning on a Friday.”

Bortolin said he also believes in the importance of the fundraiser, beyond the aspect of fun.

“Sometimes we forget what it means for families who need service dogs. These dogs aren’t born this way,” said Bortolin. “There’s a lot of time and energy needed to breed and teach the dogs to become service dogs.”

Marianne Backham volunteers with Four Wheels Four Paws, a mobile pet sitting service that came to support the egg hunt and educate attendees about Service Animals.

Backham said that part of the job of Four Wheels Four Paws is to talk about the difference between therapy dogs and service dogs.

“Therapy dogs are more for emotional support and service dogs are for an individual purpose, let’s say for the blind or for post-traumatic stress disorder,” said Backham.

It was less than a half hour before all the eggs were found and the event drew to a close.