Sunday, June 11, 2023 marks the 24th annual Furry 5K Fun Run and Walk. 100% of funds raised go to the Help the Animals Fund at the Seattle Animal Shelter (SAS). The 2020 and 2021 Furry 5Ks were entirely virtual, but in 2022 and again for 2023 we are back to in-person! Our goal: Support pets in need while enjoying a fun and playful day outside with friends and animals.
The Help the Animals Fund is where all of the Furry 5K profits are deposited for SAS to use where most needed to help the animals in their care. In 2022 the fund helped cover the cost of a lot of external veterinary exams and diagnostics while SAS recruited for their amazing new veterinary team who are now in place. This external veterinary care included: lab tests and veterinary visits.
Below are our best tips for getting you and your dog ready for the event!
Before the race:
-Check with your dog’s vet that a 5K is suitable for them
-Slowly build up your dog’s miles
-Don’t feed your dog before a run, to prevent bloat
-Make sure you have the right collar/harness and leash (see the rules below)
-Make sure your dog is ready to socialize with others
-Invite your friends/family/coworkers to join you and register at Furry5K.com too!
On the day of the Furry 5K:
-Bring water for your dog
-Bring extra poop bags
-Bring a comfortable harness/leash
-Bring treats/snacks
-Watch for fatigue
-Don’t be afraid to ask for help!
Dog Safety Rules:
– No retractable leashes. – Leashes must be no longer than 8 feet (Seattle Municipal Code). – No dogs under 6 months of age. – No female dogs in heat. – No aggressive dogs. – Dogs must be on leashes at all times. – All dogs must be current on vaccinations.
On your mark, get set… go sign up for the 2023 Furry 5K Fun Run & Walk! Join us Sunday, June 11th at Seward Park, Seattle for a fun-filled event for dogs and humans hosted by the Seattle Animal Shelter Foundation (SASF). Sign up for the Furry 5K and get ready to raise some funds for pets in need at the Seattle Animal Shelter.
Each registration includes a Furry 5K T-shirt featuring scruffy cover dog Ezzie, your race bib, and a bag filled with sponsor goodies. Advance packet pickup location and time will be announced on SASF’s social media Facebook and Instagram so be sure to follow us. We’ll email the details to all registrants too. Sign up for the Furry 5K now so you’ll get that email!
On Sunday, June 11th, day-of registration and packet pick up starts at 10am. Take your photo in the photo booth, then head over to the start line. The Furry 5K Fun Run & Walk will begin with a staggered start: Runners line up and the gun will fire at 11:30am. Walkers start 10 minutes later at 11:40am.
After you cross the finish line, treat your pup to a dip in the kiddie pool — a fantastic photo op, be sure to tag #furry5kseattle and #furry5k if you share your photos on social. Next, wind your way through the Pet-A-Palooza vendor booths full of fun pet products. Check out the list of sponsors below for some of the vendors that will be there for learning about products, and deals for shopping. Look for the corral at the far end next to the stage to watch talented athletic dogs race the agility course. Then turn to the stage for the Furry 5K awards and Pet Costume Contest. Awards will be given to the top 5K finishers, top individual fundraiser, top team fundraiser, and the best costumes – both human and dog costumes, of course.
100% of the Furry 5K Fun Run and Walk profits go to the Seattle Animal Shelter’s Help The Animals Fund, which supports medical care for pets in need. The Seattle Animal Shelter (SAS) does so much to improve and save pet lives in our community. In 2022 alone, the Seattle Animal Shelter Foundation supported SAS to…
Get 403 dogs, 544 cats, and 126 critters adopted
Provide 747 spay and neuter surgeries
Investigate 807 animal cruelty cases
Hold 1,831 animal behavior sessions for shelter animals
Reunite 429 lost animals with their owners
Rescue 316 wild animals
Perform 2,200 vet exams
Serve 628 animals via the pet food bank
You can help us help even more shelter pets in the coming year — our goal is for the 2023 Furry 5K to get to 1,800 runner and walker registrations before June 11th. Invite your friends, family, neighbors, co-workers, cat sitters, or dog-walking buddies to sign up at www.Furry5K.com and share why you’re racing on social media, tagging #furry5kseattle and #furry5k to join the fun!
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Many thanks to our sponsors, especially our Presenting Sponsor, Mud Bay, who helps make the Furry 5K event possible with their support.
The Furevermore Auction & Gala returned to the National Nordic Museum in Ballard with over 250 supporters thrilled to be having fun for a good cause.
Beautifully dressed attendees caught up with each other, shared stories of their pets, and enjoyed a lively cocktail hour. After a two-year hiatus of hosting Furevermore in person, people were ready to party. They flocked to new event features: an animal watercolor portrait, a magician, and raffle tickets offering one winner a weekend getaway.
Meanwhile, bidders looked down lines of tables at all of the silent auction items, like cat and dog care packages, an electric boat sailing excursion, and Seattle sports tickets. Best of all, adoptable kittens and bunnies from the Seattle Animal Shelter (SAS) greeted attendees.
Dinner and the live auction began with tremendous fanfare when supporters received a visit from surprise guests – adoptable shelter puppies! The auctioneer introduced a new live auction experience – puppy playtime. It wasn’t long before these floppy pups brought in over a $1,000 donation! And the bidding didn’t ease up there. Vacation getaways, Seattle dining and entertainment, and the chance to feature your pet in Seattle Animal Shelter Foundation (SASF) event materials all went to the highest bidders.
All this fun was in support of raising money to improve the lives of dogs, cats, and critters at the shelter Since the pandemic, the shelter has leaned on its incredible foster program to care for pets. However, the foster program has reached its limit of what volunteers alone could sustain.
In addition to supporting existing programs like the behavior team, this year SASF needed to raise enough money to fund a full-time foster coordinator to improve the foster experience for people and pets alike.
During the Fund a Need portion of the evening, guests could pledge donations that would specifically be ear-marked for this foster need. A few donors went above and beyond, pledging $5,000 during Fund a Need! Many generous donors pledged $100, $200, or $500 after hearing from existing volunteers and foster parents about the current limitations of the program and how a loving foster home benefits shelter pets.
Even with all the cocktail hour activities, 100+ items to bid on, and a delicious dinner, Furevermore supporters were quick to raise their paddles and donate to fund the foster program to expand and stabilize the foster parent network, improve coordinated care for foster pets, and save the lives of more pets.
And wow did our supporters show up to help. We are thrilled to share that Furevermore raised a record fundraising total of $232,352!
With this money, SAS will begin hiring for the foster coordinator position at the end of this year. Plus, a portion will go toward the shelter’s general grants fund to cover a range of programs, including veterinary services, medical equipment at the shelter’s in-house clinic, and the behavioral therapy program.
Many thanks to everyone who attended, donated, got wonderfully competitive in the exciting live and silent auctions, all the volunteers, and shelter staff who made such a fantastic event possible. We couldn’t have done this without you!
Follow us on Facebook and Instagram, subscribe to our email newsletter, and return to this website for updates on how the Seattle Animal Shelter Foundation is improving the lives of our most vulnerable pets in our community.
At Furevermore this year, we are excited to announce that there will be real, live animals. While we do our best to anticipate what animals will be there, these adorable future friends may be adopted by the time October 29th rolls around, but we will do our best to keep everything updated.
Make sure to get your tickets to meet some of the adorable animals in the critter tent!
Tiny, adorable baby rabbits
We are so incredibly excited to bring these itty bitty bunnies to the event, provided they don’t get adopted first.
There are five of these tiny, adorable fluff balls. That is 10 floppy ears, for anyone keeping count. They do not have formal names, or we would list them out with profile pictures, so for now just enjoy them in their sleepy pile.
As of the time of this posting they were just 3 weeks old. By the time we get to the event, they should be a bit less sleepy and more active. All the better to play.
Their mother is an equally adorable (though less tiny) rabbit named Lily. Lily came to us on August 11th, and gave birth to these babies on August 22nd. She is a sweet Holland Lop, so we assume that’s what her babies are too (good luck googling that and not falling in love).
Come meet the hoppity 5 at the critter tent at Furevermore, and if you haven’t already, get your tickets today!
In the lead-up to the event, we will be featuring some of our donated items that will be available. Check back for updates and more of what you could win at Furevermore on October 29th, 2022. And if you haven’t already, get your tickets before we run out!
A couple quick notes:
We now have a raffle going where you can win further prizes like a wine tasting!
We are excited to reveal the signature cocktail at the event: The Paws-mo! We don’t want to give too many spoilers out, so come try this cocktail!
XOBC Wine Tasting
XOBC Cellars bottled the goodness that comes out of sharing a meal with a friend or stranger. The winery was founded in 2019 by multi-Grammy winning artist Brandi Carlile, her wife Catherine, and their friends, Jeri and Amy Andrews. These women fused music and wine with a common goal of making a difference by donating proceeds from XOBC Cellars to Brandi’s Looking Out Foundation (LOF).
A true outlier, showcasing female & LGBTQ+ leadership, this team of women in wine has raised the bar for the entire industry. Now you and up to 12 of your friends can sip on this wine. Let Team XOBC treat you and your guests to a tailored private experience.
During the tasting (typically 60-90 minutes) we share the story of how XOBC Cellars began, why our Walla Walla vineyards make such fantastic wine, our sustainable farming practices, and the ways in which your support gives back to LOF, all interspersed with questions from your group and plenty of tasting.
6-nights on an African Safari
Zulu Nyala Private Game Reserve provides a unique bush experience in the heart of one of South Africa’s most diverse conservation regions. Nestled between the wilderness reserves of Mkuze, Hluhluwe, St Lucia and Sodwana Bay, this lush stretch of paradise is home to a wide variety of game, from the majestic elephant to rhino, buffalo, hippo, giraffe, the secretive leopard and cheetah and the shy Nyala antelope that are endemic to the region.
The privately owned reserve is home to over 40 different species of animal and magnificent birdlife. A large variety of game reserve activities and excursions are available to all guests of Zulu Nyala Heritage Safari Lodge and Hemingway Tented Camp.
Read more in this document about the trip!
2 Seahawks tickets and a signed football
Claim 2 tickets to see the Seahawks play at Lumen Field and sit amongst the fans in section 126. Specific games are TBD at Furevermore.
Winners of this prize will also receive a signed football from NFL Hall of Famer Walter Jones! Jones played with the Seahawks of 180 games and was selected into the Hall of Fame on his first year of eligibility.
Guided Truffle Hunting
Join us on a truffle hunt with an exclusive Guided Truffle Hunting Experience. Our guide will take you to a known truffle patch and show you the fascinating world of truffle hunting with dogs. We promise you will not be disappointed when you see the dog and handler work in tandem to locate the underground treasures. Please no dogs as it can be very distracting to the dog who is working.
We recommend you budget about 1/2 day for this experience. The truffle hunt itself will last about 1.5 to 2 hrs from the moment you set boots and paws in the woods until the time you return to vehicles. Travel time to location varies and is generally 1.5 to 3 hours round trip from the nearest major city (see locations in the scheduling form below).
Guests provide their own transportation and bring proper attire and any food/ water. You get to keep everything that is found. We’ll show you how to clean and care for them, as well as provide some recipe ideas, and we’ll sample some delicious truffle-infused goodies back at the vehicles! It’ll be a magical day in the woods. Read more!
2 tasting menus with wine parings and a night at the willows inn
The beautiful Willows Inn is located on Lummi Island and is widely known for its world-class restaurant. Booked months in advance, this is an excellent chance to try to food for yourself, then retire to your room on the premises.
Lummi Island’s quiet atmosphere is great for relaxing and taking in the beautiful views. During the day there are art communities, farms, and other small attractions. For outdoorsy folks, there are some hikes and kayaking options available as well. Get away from the city and enjoy the beauty Lummi and an outstanding evening of food.
Custom Dog house from Backspace Sheds
The winner of this awesome item will get a custom dog house, courtesy of our friends at bAckspace Sheds. After a hard day of chasing squirrels, protecting your yard from airplanes, and generally zooming about, your dog deserves to relax in luxury. Perfect for all dogs, these houses will keep your furry friend out of ruff conditions.
*** For tickets to Furevermore 2023, please visit this page! ***
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Here is our 2022 event information:
fundraising for animal shelter programs
It’s time to auction like it’s 2019! We are returning back in-person to the National Nordic Museum in Ballard on October 29th, 2022. Join us for a fun evening of catching up and bidding on a wide selection of items from our generous donors. Proceeds from this event go towards supporting crucial programs at Seattle Animal Shelter.
Sports tickets, local restaurant tastings, pet gear, and one-of-a-kind travel opportunities are just some of the items ready to go to the highest bidder. Plus, there’s the chance to feature your pet on the next SASF calendar or make them the star of next year’s Furry 5K and Furevermore!
Space is limited to 350, so get your tickets today to win cool stuff, play games, and help animals all over the city get the care they need.
More than just an auction
Furevermore includes all kinds of fun events for animal lovers. Here just a few of the planned activities for the evening in addition to the 100+ items in live and silent auction:
Meet and greet with adoptable puppies, kittens, or bunnies
The Furevermore Auction & Gala is back on October 29th, 2022!
After going virtual in 2020 and cancelling in 2021, the Seattle Animal Shelter Foundation is thrilled to announce Furevermore is back in person this year.
We’ll welcome 350 of our top supporters to the National Nordic Museum to enjoy:
Cocktail hour
Meet and greet with adoptable puppies, kittens, or bunnies
“You as an animal” portraits
Photo booths
Other exciting raffles and entertainment
A full course meal
Bidding on 100+ items in a live and silent auction
Sports tickets, local restaurant tastings, pet gear, and one-of-a-kind travel opportunities are just some of the items ready to go to the highest bidder. Plus, there’s the chance to feature your pet on the 2023 SASF calendar or make them the star of next year’s Furry 5K and Furevermore!
Have fun and donate to a good cause as we look to raise over $200,000 and to help fund life-saving programs at the Seattle Animal Shelter.
With the money raised from this event, we’re looking to fund a full-time foster care coordinator to increase the number of dogs, cats, and critters that are placed in foster homes and provide direct support to foster parents and animals. Your donations in support of this foster care coordinator position will make a difference for so many neglected dogs, cats, and critters looking for a second chance.
Seating is limited, so check back on our website or follow us on Facebook,Instagram, or LinkedIn to see when tickets become available.
Thanks for your support and we’ll see you in October!
We did it! This past year’s Furry 5K was bigger than ever before, thanks to generous donations, volunteers, our sponsors, and the hundreds of humans and pets who joined us on June 12 at Seward Park (and even those who participated virtually). The event was packed to the brim with opportunities to connect as a community and support the Seattle Animal Shelter.
Fun on the day
Upon arriving at Seward Park, runners and walkers (two-legged and four-legged alike) were invited to get in on the fun early. There were photo booths and vendors to explore, and presenting sponsor Mud Bay was handing out bandanas to eager pups. It was a joy to see so many furry family members sporting their new gear as they made the 5-kilometer loop next to Lake Washington. Even Seattle Mayor Bruce Harrel joined in, chatting with race participants and giving head scratches to animals as they headed out on the course.
Once runners and walkers rounded the last corner and came in sight of the finish line, excited barking filled the park as humans and pets raced towards the finish line. There was the classic rehydration station and also a little something extra for the pups (tennis balls) that greeted finishers as they passed through the final arch — exciting many dogs who could have kept on going.
The fun didn’t stop there. The various booths, food trucks and activities kept runners and walkers entertained long after their 3-mile loop. The dog agility course was a crowd favorite and showcased the talents of plenty of pups.
Beyond the joy of the actual race, this year’s Furry 5K helped provide the Seattle Animal Shelter with much needed funds and support. Every dollar raised through donations will help the pets at the shelter receive the medical attention, behavioral support, and loving care they need and deserve.
We’re proud to say that we surpassed our fundraising goal of $100,000! This year’s Furry 5K event raised $115,145 for the Seattle Animal Shelter. This money will be used to support so many animals in the shelter and allow the facilities and people working within the shelter to continue their vital work.
Thank you to all involved
None of this would have been possible without the support of donors, volunteers, and sponsors. This year’s race was put on by more than 100 volunteers, and we all know it wouldn’t be the same without the dedication of that group. Volunteers actually created the first Furry 5K back in 1999 to raise funds for the Seattle Animal Shelter’s veterinary needs and they still organize the event to this day.
The Furry 5K wouldn’t be what it is without the donors and participants that come out, rain or shine, to help support the shelter animals they care about. Whether you ran, walked, donated, led a team, shared a post on social media, or anything in between — thank you. Your support helps the Seattle Animal Shelter keep doing amazing work.
It takes a village to put on a race like the Furry 5K, and a huge part of that community are our sponsors. These sponsors provide the shelter with invaluable resources to create a fun, impactful event that truly matters to the animals in need of the care that the shelter provides. Thank you to:
A special shout out to our presenting sponsor, Mud Bay, for also donating $1 for each mile ran at the Furry 5K, for a total of $3,252!
Looking ahead
While this year was a smashing success, there are always more opportunities to support the shelter. Keep an ear out on future fundraising and community-building events by subscribing to the Seattle Animal Shelter Foundation newsletter. You can also donate today to help support the shelter’s ongoing needs.
Mud Bay is delighted to be a longtime partner supporting the work of Seattle Animal Shelter Foundation, and a recurring Presenting Sponsor of one of SASF’s signature events—the Furry 5K. Last year, in addition to sponsorship, Mud Bay was also able to donate 1,600 pounds of high-quality food to the shelter. Since 2017, Mud Bay has donated over $1.3 million dollars supporting exemplary nonprofit organizations such as SASF.
This year, Mud Bay Delivery is pleased to be participating in several ways, including the bandana sponsorship, and will have members of our Delivery Team on-site to hand out bandanas—as well as pet treats—to folks at Furry 5K.
Also, Mud Bay Delivery has pledged to donate $1 for each and every mile walked/ran during the Furry 5K event on June 12th.
“We love working with Seattle Animal Shelter, and Furry 5K is always one of our favorite events,” said Justin Anderson, Marketing Program Manager for Mud Bay. “Between the adorable bandanas Mud Bay Delivery team members are handing out, and the $1 match for every mile, we hope this will be the best Furry 5K yet!”
So, grab your friends and family and register for the Furry 5K today, which benefits the Help the Animals Fund at Seattle Animal Shelter, supporting medical care for pets in need. And when you’re there, look for the Mud Bay Delivery crew to say hi and get a bandana and a treat for your pet!
This year’s Furry 5K is just around the corner. On June 12, hundreds of King County animal lovers will gather at Seward Park alongside their four-legged companions to walk or run in the name of helping pets. A good event needs a good ambassador, or maybe even two. This year’s face(s) of the Furry 5K are Lemon and Walter: two very good dogs.
How did these two pups become such an important part of this race? Each fall, the Seattle Animal Shelter Foundation (SASF) hosts an auction and gala to raise funds for the Seattle Animal Shelter (SAS). While the pandemic caused a few changes in plans over the last two years, it did not stop Lemon and Walter’s owner, Chris Priest, from making a generous donation to secure his pups as the Face of the Furry 5K. We had the privilege of sitting down with Chris to learn more about his beloved dogs, his history with the Furry 5K, and who is really in charge of their household.
Lemon (left) and Walter, this year’s Faces of the Furry 5K, sit pretty for their headshot.
Our conversation with Chris
SASF: First thing’s first… – Can you tell us a little bit about Walter and Lemon?
Chris: Lemon is a border collie/terrier mutt we adopted from a shelter in Sun Valley, Idaho. We had lost a wonder dog (Daisy Mae, who was from the Seattle Animal Shelter), and there was something about adorable, crazy Lemon that reminded us of her.
Lemon is a gregarious herder who loves people (especially kids) and certain other dog pals. She is the fastest thing, crazy agile, and very smart. It’s hard for us to keep up with her quite often.
Little Walter is a little terrier mix who was found wandering the streets; some kids took him to a vet, and they cared for him for a month before relinquishing him to the shelter. We fell in love immediately, and so did Lemon. Walter is a smarty pants and the boss. He rules the roost, and Lemon loves him more than she might [love] us. They are the best of friends and bring us delight every day.
Why were you interested in having your dogs be the Face of the Furry 5K?
We love the Seattle Animal Shelter and the Seattle Animal Shelter Foundation, and a highlight of our year is the annual auction. We’ve had our dogs on the side of buses (twice), in the calendar (three times), and all sorts of other prizes. It just made sense to do the Furry 5K — that, and Lemon is crazy fast. We wanted to support the Seattle Animal Shelter and do something fun and different!
The two dogs discovered they were perfect playmates right away. Here, Lemon (left) and Walter display their polite playing technique.
How do Lemon and Walter affect your life? Do they help you maintain any sort of daily routines or bring a new appreciation to your daily activities?
Lemon and Walter ARE our daily lives. Besides work and food, everything we do centers around our pack. We go on lots of walks every day, go on runs, and play fetch and all sorts of games.
They have both gone to more training and more classes than either of their humans have. They love to be challenged and to play, so we spend a lot of time training, doing exercises, and having fun. We go down to Yelm a few times a month so Lemon can herd sheep and Walter can bark. They love it!
[Because we work] from home, they are very rarely alone. We have morning walks, afternoon walks, and night walks. We go to a lot of places that allow dogs, too, so they go out to eat with us or meet friends with us all the time.
These two make every day extra special. From crazy play episodes that take over the entire house to all the people in our neighborhood who greet them, every day is more fun and more interesting because of these two.
What are you looking forward to about this year’s Furry 5K?
Both Lemon and Walter love to go on runs. I used to run to and from work with Lemon, and her and I have participated in the Furry 5K three times. It’s such a fun, entertaining, and healthy event — we love to participate.
Lemon loves people, so I think her getting attention and being recognized as the Face of the Furry 5K will make her very happy. We plan to arrive early and take photos and do whatever helps the Foundation increase participation and the fun factor. Come meet Lemon and Walter!
Okay, last question. If someone was interested in potentially participating in the Furry 5K this summer, what is one thing you’d tell them?
It’s all about the animals. The work the Seattle Animal Shelter and Seattle Animal Shelter Foundation do for dogs, cats, critters, and friends is remarkable. This is a chance to run or walk, have a fun time, support each other, and raise money for the shelter. There are lots of teams, so there’s lots of support. It’s fun, and it is so important to show how much our community supports the animals!
How to join in on the fun
There’s still plenty of time to sign up for this June’s Furry 5K! Check out the Furry 5K website to learn more about participating.
If you’re interested in your pet being the Face of the Furry 5K at a future event, keep an eye out for the Furevermore Auction & Gala coming this October. Who knows – maybe your best friend will be the star of next year’s race!
