Going to the dogs

This year’s ICE WALK participants came from miles around. Clutching water bottles, walking shoes laced tight, ready to share a gorgeous Ocala day with their four-footed BFF’s.

ICE WALK 2014 started with perfect weather; cool and sunny with just enough nip in the air for sweatshirts and light jackets.

The crowd was larger than any other year, but lines at the registration desk moved well. Every walker who registered pocketed a free raffle ticket for the post-walk drawings and snagged a very stylish blue ICE T-shirt to help show their support.

Donations came fast and generously, topping last year’s record-setting number by over 200 percent to total over $15,000! The beneficiaries of the donations — Marion County Humane Society and South Lake Animal League

— showed up with buses full, loaded with plenty of display materials and lots of special canines eager to find forever homes. The day’s “dog day” theme continued as the Ocala Police Department gave an exciting demonstration of its K-9 unit. The star of the show was a beautiful German shepherd. His name? “Ice,” of course!

After a brief warmup led by ICE cardiology nurse practitioner Kevin Noon, the sound system’s speakers came alive with “Ice, Ice, Baby” and ICE WALK 2014 was on! People of all ages, families and singles alike, took off. Some shared the walk with four-footed friends on leashes. Some were ICE patients out for a fun, healthy time in the morning sun. All were taking time from their Saturday for a good cause. Their reward after covering the distance — some ran the whole way, some jogged and many simply walked — was an after-party complete with tunes spun by a D.J., delicious food and drinks. People chatted and traded stories, lots of pictures were taken and even the dogs made new friends. Most

— to a person and surely a made plans to return next year to do it all over again!