Over the weekend, dogs of all sizes and breeds gathered at Plaza de Espana for “Bark for Life,” an annual event that unites canines and their human companions in the fight against cancer.
As a noncompetitive walk event for dogs and their owners, the American Cancer Society’s Bark For Life promotes awareness and raises funds to support programs fighting cancer.
Tina Noket, senior community development manager, said the event is organized by a group of volunteers — mostly dog owners — who are passionate about the cause.
“Today’s event is our 8th annual Bark for Life and it is the opportunity for us to honor the care-giving qualities of our canine family members. At our traditional Relay for Life that we hold in May, we don’t allow pets there. So this is an opportunity for our furry friends and our family members to join us in the fight against cancer,” Noket said.
“It is important for us to offer this to our community because when we are dealing with cancer, there are many different ways to deal with it and we have heard from some of our survivors who have canine caregivers that they play an important role in their healing. So we want to be able to showcase that we also want to provide a venue for our canine community to come out and fight back against cancer,” she added.
Guam’s cancer rates are among the highest across the nation. Events such as ‘Bark for Life’ send the message that — survivors and caregivers do not have to face cancer alone.
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