Firing up the hogs, for the dogs’ sake
Motorcycle run to benefit pet spay and neuter clinic
Susan Schell
of the Gateway
Gateway photo/Lee Giles III
Event organizers Dave and Vicki McCormick and “Nola,” a 3-year-old pit bull, pose in front of a 2008 Harley Road King motorcycle in front of The Flotation Device in Purdy.
Each year, hundreds of dogs and cats are put to sleep by humane societies nationwide. Their crime? Not being able to find a home.
At the end of the month, motorcycle riders will fire up their bikes to try to stop the problem. The Aug. 29 “Hogs for Dogs” fundraising event will be hosted by the Flotation Device Pub & Grill in Gig Harbor to benefit the Coalition: Humane Spay & Neuter Clinic.
“Animals losing their lives due to pet overpopulation is the No. 1 killer of dogs and cats in our country,” said organizer Dave McCormick, who will kick off the first-time event with his wife, Vicky. “We can’t adopt our way out of the problem. Spay and neuter makes a real difference.”
Vicky McCormick said she’s been involved with the coalition for several years as a fundraiser.
“Me and my husband ride motorcycles, and we wanted to have an event that would help out and be a lot of fun,” she said. “When we talked to people, they were really open to it.”
The Motorcycle Dice Run will begin with registration at 8:30 a.m. at the Flotation Device. The ride will travel along scenic routes along the shores of Puget Sound.
“We have mapped out the run along the Hood Canal area,” Vicky McCormick said. “We travel up through Allyn, with stopping points to eat and drink at places like JR’s Hideaway in Belfair. The girls that own the place are very happy to be involved. It’s going to be a beautiful run, and there’s a lot of people that ride motorcycles.”
Anyone who rides is welcome, and those without a bike can join the festivities at the Flotation Device with blues band “Loose Gravel and Quarry” from 3 to 6 p.m.
“We’ll have raffles and all, and one sponsor is donating trips to Reno,” McCormick said. “People have stuck their helping hand out for this. Anybody can ride, and anybody can attend the function.”
McCormick said Coalition Humane is a 501(c)(3) organization committed to reducing the overpopulation of dogs and cats in the area.
“We opened the first low-income spay and neuter clinic in Tacoma,” she said. “We’ve done so well in this area and have cut the rates of euthanasia by more than half in the last 10 years.”
The Tacoma Humane Society is getting closer to its goal of becoming a no-kill shelter. A huge part of the coalition program is trapping feral cats, having them spayed or neutered, then releasing them. All workers who trap and transport are volunteers.
“We’re doing this stuff all year long,” McCormick said. “People in the community are really becoming aware of this problem, and it’s slowly but surely changing.
“This is something that we can stop. We’re seeing the results of our work. We’re not fighting a losing battle.”
Motorcycle Dice Run
When: Dice run registration begins at 8:30 a.m. Aug. 29 — Blues music with “Loose Gravel and Quarry” from 3 to 6 p.m.
Where: The Flotation Device Pub & Grill, 14511 Sherman Drive in Gig Harbor, next to the Westwynd Motel
