'Bark for Life' Set for Saturday Morning

The 2013 'Coventry Bark for Life' event is set to kick off its fourth team-up of bipedal and quadrupedal anti-cancer fundraisers at the site of the future Coventry Dog Park Saturday morning — they just need some more help.

If you've got sneakers and like dogs, you're organizer Lynne Peter's kind of people, and you're invited to come down to the Coventry Town Hall Annex (1675 Flat River Road) from 10 a.m. until noon for fun, games and prizes, all in the name of fighting cancer. The event is a supplemental fundraiser to Relay for Life, which benefits the American Cancer Society.

Not many people are signed on for the event as of yet, Peters said, but there are a few who've said they'll be showing up on the day of the event. Anyone is welcome to do that — registration will be accepted on the day at 9:45 a.m. Prospective participants can sign up ahead of time Friday night online. 

Folks who do show will get to meet Jager, the 2013 Coventry Bark for Life "Chair" dog. Each year, Peters said, they choose a dog ambassador for the event, and this year Jager, who's attended every Coventry Bark for Life event with his master, Mike Tedeschi, was an obvious choice. "He's just a great, friendly, big dog," Peters said.

Tedeschi said he and Jager are "pretty excited" about the event. "This will be my fourth year with Jager and his first year as the ambassador dog," he said. For training, they've been doing a lot of walking. Tedeschi said he expects Jager to have a great time. "He loves other dogs. He's a lover, not a fighter, that's for sure," Tedeschi said.

The walk itself lasts about two hours, with events along the way to help pass the time. Here's a list of the morning's activities:

9:45 a.m.: Registration
10:15 a.m.: Opening Ceremonies
10:25 a.m.: Survivor/Caregiver Lap
10:40 a.m.: Costume Lap (Be creative and fabulous!)
11:00 a.m.: Best Trick (Show off your talent!)
11:20 a.m.: How Can You Fight Back?
11:45 a.m.: Show us your Purple Spirit (How purple are you?)
12:00 p.m.: Closing Ceremonies

Click here to visit the official Bark For Life of Coventry Facebook page.