Fourth annual dog walk against cancer set for April 21

For the fourth year in a row, the Center for Comparative Oncology in the Virginia-Maryland Regional College of Veterinary Medicine (VMRCVM) will sponsor a "Dog Walk Against Cancer."

The event will be held rain or shine on Saturday, April 21 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on the front lawn of the VMRCVM’s Virginia Tech campus on Duck Pond Drive and is open to the public and their pets.

Highlights of the event include a kick-off informational session on cancer in animals at 10 a.m. and a survivor and remembrance walk around the flowers in The Grove at 1 p.m. to honor and remember all two- and four- legged cancer survivors and victims.

The event seeks to raise funds to support cancer research conducted by students and increase public awareness about cancer, according to Dr. John Robertson, a professor in the college's Department of Biomedical Sciences and Pathobiology and director of Center for Comparative Oncology, a research center that studies cancer in animals and people.

Individuals participating in the event are asked to acquire sponsors for each owner/dog team and present those funds to organizers on the day of the event. There is a minimum of $25 in total donations required per human participant. People participating in the event are asked to only bring dogs that get along well with other dogs and other people in crowded conditions. In addition, all dogs must have up-to-date vaccination records and must be kept on a leash and under the control of their walker at all times.

All money raised during this event will directly go to support the Student Cancer Research Fellowships in the Center for Comparative Oncology.

Information and registration and donation forms may be found online.