2009 Dog Jog Logo SmallLeash up Fido and head down to the Piedmont Park Pavilion for the 23rd Annual Atlanta Dog Jog on Saturday, Oct. 24.  The annual walk/run for dogs and their owners is organized by the Greater Atlanta Veterinary Medial Society and sponsored by Skeledog.

The event will feature both a one mile (beginning at 9 a.m.) and a two mile (beginning at 9:30 a.m.) walk/run.  Participants of all experience and fitness levels are welcome and encouraged to bring along their four-legged friends, and strollers and wagons are permitted.

The cost to register is $25 in advance, $30 on race day for one dog and one runner, and each additional dog is $15.  A runner without a dog can register for $25 in advance and $30 on the day of.  To register online, go to www.Active.com.  All proceeds from the event will benefit Canine Assistants, and Alpharetta-based non profit that trains dogs to assist children and adults with physical disabilities and special needs.

For more information about the Atlanta Dog Jog, visit www.AtlantaDogJog.org.

Collin Kelley is the executive editor of Atlanta Intown, Georgia Voice, and the Rough Draft newsletter. He has been a journalist for nearly four decades and is also an award-winning poet and novelist.