(Riverton, WY) The weekend’s weather wasn’t a deterrent for racers, participants, and their canine cohorts for the 2023 Fast and Furriest 5K race and mini expo held on Saturday at Central Wyoming College.
Forty-one participants signed up for this year’s race, with Gabe Villalobos as the winner in the Male category with a time of 17:19, and second place going to Kyler Heil with a time of 17.20.
Jessica Wyatt won in the Female category with a time of 20:48, with second place going to Sarah Flatt with a time of 27.03.
Family 5K team runners were Teton Therapy Group, Team Townshend, and the Faler Family.
Vendor and educational booths, a bouncy house, face painting, a silent auction, and activities such as a pre-race stretch “Yoga with Doggies,” a “Doggy Wiener Dive,” and an after-race barbecue were enjoyed by all in attendance.
Also present was The Stock Doc’s Dr. Miranda Townsend.
The Fast and the Furriest started in 2012 as a fundraiser to support the Critical Care Companion Animal Fund (CCCAF).
“We started something when I was in vet’s school, for emergency critical care,” said The Stock Doc’s Dr. Brandi Waheed, D.V.M. Associate Veterinarian. “It was something for pets in emergency situations and you can’t do anything financially or have a lot of hardship. After I graduated, I wanted to get this started in my community, so we made it happen.”
Waheed said that the Fast and the Furriest event also help in supporting the local shelters through a grant application process. “The Stock Doc helps us coordinate it all, and get it going,” she said. “We’re in our 11th year now, and it’s such a great event…we have very good donors and sponsors, and just so much support from the community.”
With these funds, The Stock Doc is able to treat and medicate each disease or problem, as well as provide discounts on services, diagnostics, medications, and treatments. The Fast and the Furriest fundraiser “focuses on wellness and health for our pets and our families…the CCCAF helps pets of all shapes, small or large, and the exotic type.”
More information about the Fast and the Furriest and the Critical Care Fund can be found on The Stock Doc’s website at rivertonvet.com
