OBSERVER Photos Walkers take parts in the 18th Annual Pat McGee Dog Walk Sunday at Lakeshore Humane Society.

A beautiful, warm autumn day greeted the attendees of the 18th Annual Pat McGee Dog Walk.

Presented by the Lakeshore Humane Society, the yearly walk is a community-based event to help raise money for the shelter located on Chestnut Street in the city of Dunkirk.

The event saw 31 dogs show up this year with basket raffles and a Weidner’s Chicken BBQ shortly after. To help spice things up for fall, a costume contest for the dogs was added which saw many owners dress up as well.

“We raise money for every person showing up,” volunteer Jerry McGarrity shared with the OBSERVER on Sunday. “We get a lot of money from our sponsors and a lot of help from the community with this event every year.”

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The walk, aided for the first time by the SUNY Fredonia Women’s Basketball Team, was led by Dunkirk K9 Officer Brian Dietzen and his partner Gunny.

According to McGarrity the event takes months of planning, starting with the chicken dinner order, which they place four to five months out.

“We want more and more people to come out every year,” McGarrity stated. “That is our goal, to make this bigger every year.”

“The whole adoption center and Lakeshore Humane Society is 100% volunteer ran,” volunteer Rock Vallone said. “None of this could happen if it wasn’t for the community support. I think the community should be very proud of what they accomplished together.”

Laurel Brown, a freshman at Fredonia who was there with the basketball team noted that it was fun helping with the dog walk and giving back to the community.

“It was nice with all the people and dogs right behind us,” Brown said. “It was nice to see just everyone coming together to walk their dogs, and then they were in costume, so that was really cute.”

Founded in 2004, the walk was later named for State Sen. Pat McGee following her passing in 2005. McGee was a huge advocate for animal rights in the state of NY and the event organizers felt it to be a fitting tribute to her.

Originally held at Russell Joy Park the walk later moved to Point Gratiot for several years. Now walkers begin at the shelter go down Serval Street, up Lakeshore Drive and back to the shelter.

Upcoming events at the shelter include a Spooky Adoption Day on Oct. 29, which will feature treats and dogs in costume as well as their annual Picture Your Pet with Santa event on Nov. 12.