Hong Kong is home to plenty of animal non-profits that rescue, rehabilitate, and rehome animals that have fallen victim to illegal breeders, puppy mills, negligent owners, abandonment, injuries, and more. But these organisations rely heavily on public donations for their funding, so if you’re an animal lover, here’s an event coming up where you can help their cause.
The Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA) Hong Kong is soon hosting its flagship annual charity walk where over 2,000 pet owners and their dogs can gather to have fun and raise funds. The Dogathon 2025 will be a 3.6-km charity walk along the Shing Mun River in Sha Tin, starting from the pet park at New Town Plaza and ending at the Sha Tin Racecourse. Taking approximately an hour to finish, this walk falls on April 4, which is a Friday and the public holiday for Ching Ming Festival and Children’s Day this year – so if you have a dog, there’s no real excuse not to join!
After the walk, attendees can take part in the pet festival at the racecourse, which will be specially open to dogs just for the day. There will be agility games, a pet playground, and a Woof Run – not to mention plenty of other furry friends – to keep your pup entertained, while owners can enjoy a charity marketplace and more activities.
The Dogathon charity walk requires an enrolment fee and a minimum donation to the SPCA, and those interested will need to sign up by March 28. All dogs will receive an event-themed reversible bandana while walkers get an event t-shirt, and those who finish the walk will be presented with a medal of completion (yes, including the dogs).
Charity walkers can attend the pet festival for free, but if you’d just like to take part in the festivities, then entry to the festival costs $20 per ticket. Grab your trainers and leashes!
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