May 25, 2002 – Dog lovers will be racing with their own pets, or with ones they "rent," Monday afternoon — the Memorial Day holiday — in the third "Critter Crawl" to benefit the St. Thomas-St. John Humane Society.
Started two years ago by animal enthusiast Charlotte Morris, the Critter Crawl in its first two outings earned needed dollars for the Humane Society and provided lots of fun for the entrants, both the canines and the two-legged creatures.
The first crawl was in February 2000. The second, in September 2000, was almost a swim as a deluge of monsoon proportions struck at just about starting time. Nonetheless, about 40 hardy human souls competed and garnered about $1,000 for the shelter.
This year, as usual, the crawl will start from the grassy area behind Roy L. Schneider Hospital. But there are some changes. Morris has left the island. Cape Air airlines is sponsoring the event, under the stewardship of Lisa Schmid, the airline's marketing director. Schmid, an avid runner, is a veteran of the first two crawls. In fact, she even took a little white puppy home with her at the end of the first one.
The rules are basically the same. It's a walk, run or whatever of one mile with with a canine companion or of two miles without. The course is the same one that's used for the annual Women's Jogger Jam — up around Fortress Storage, down by Lockhart Elementary School, up to the hospital and back again. The starting time is 2:30 p.m. The non-running public is invited to watch the action from the sidelines.
The $5 entry fee allows participants to select the dog of their choice from candidates supplied by the shelter, to go with their own dog, or to run sans animal.
Shelter manager Hubert Brumant and his staff will be on hand with information on adopting, training and caring for animals. Schmid said Cape Air personnel will help give out raffle prizes, which include lots of travel on Cape Air. Schmid suggested that those planning to rent a dog arrive early for the best pick of running mates. For further information, call her at 777-6182.
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