Cash the Wonder Dog

Well, I guess the "dog days" of summer are over now, but there's still good news to share and great stuff to do here in Tehachapi!

First, I would like to thank all the humans who bought raffle tickets at my booth at the Gran Fondo. The lucky raffle winner, and now the proud owner of a Tehachapi Dog Park/Cash the Wonder Dog paw print jersey, is Scott Detillo of Chino Valley. I am grateful that so many people bought raffle tickets, and I also appreciate the people who just made a donation for the dog park, too. The raffle raised $527, and the money was presented to the Tehachapi Park Foundation on Wednesday, Oct. 14. The money will be used to buy items for the new dog park. I also want to thank everyone who has purchased a Tehachapi Dog Park/Cash the Wonder Dog paw print jersey from Voler (www. voler.com). A portion of the purchase price for each jersey comes back to the Tehachapi Parks Foundation to benefit the new dog park.

If you haven't bought a paw print jersey yet, there's still time (and they make great holiday gifts for the cyclist – dog lover in your life). Visit the Voler website at www. voler.com and enter "Tehachapi Dog Park" in the search box. The dogs of the Tehachapi Valley thank you!

In other canine-related news, if you love dogs and want to support our troops, please consider dropping off a little something for the United States War Dogs Association. These folks provide supplies to the US military deployed overseas for the military working dogs that serve with our troops. The Association is specifically looking for donations of the following items: dog boots (protection from hot and cold and rough terrain); dog beds; doggles (eye protection); large rope toys; grooming tools and products; collapsible nylon dog bowls; and 3" Kong rubber balls. Please keep in mind that military dogs are large breed dogs, so they need large, durable stuff to meet their needs.

These items can be dropped off with Heather or Melissa at U-Neek Findz (661-822-7311) or with Veronica at Red Carpet Grooming (661-823-1119) until Oct. 31. The wonderful women at both of these local businesses would be happy to share more information about the "wish list" and to give you materials about the US War Dogs Association. You can also visit their website at http://www.chapter1.uswardogs.org for more information.

The folks at U-Neek Findz and Red Carpet Grooming are going to be picking up the cost of shipping all the donated items overseas, so if you can contribute a few dollars to that, I'm sure they would appreciate it. Not all heros walk on two feet...some walk on four paws. Military dogs save lives, so please consider helping them out so that they receive the care and comfort they deserve.

Even if summer is over, remember to play outside. Personally, I love wading through a good puddle! And lucky for me, it looks as if we may have a few here in Tehachapi in the coming months. So work up, live up, play up...and splash up!

Cash the Wonder Dog is a Tehachapi resident and community philanthropist; he supports the humane treatment of animals, and active recreation for dogs and humans (particularly little humans). He is also a big fan of toys, treats, and afternoon naps on the couch. You can visit him on Facebook at Cash the Wonder Dog.