Racing to Find Abandoned Pets a Home

On a rainy day last year, Farron Fields found his Guinevere, a black, white and brown Doberman/German shepherd mix, emaciated and sopping wet. For Fields, it would be the beginning of two lessons, one about the tragedy of abandoned animals, the other about the joy they can bring.

Combining both, Fields and his girlfriend, Lara Minassian, have organized what they have dubbed the “Canine-Human World Cross Country Championship,” to be held in Woodley Park in Van Nuys on July 30.

A runner and a dog lover all his life, Fields had never combined the two passions until he rescued and adopted Guinevere, then about 6 months old. They started running together, and “it was the most fun I’d ever had running,” Fields said.

Fields, a Northridge resident, now runs 50 to 60 miles a week with her, admitting, “She’s a better runner than me.”

The races in the July 30 championship include both canine-human events and people-only races. Proceeds will be donated to organizations that find homes for abandoned animals. He expects as many as 400 animal lovers to race with their dogs. But he needs volunteers.

“It’s a growing problem and it’s not getting any better,” Fields said about the issue of abandoned and homeless pets, which he’s been learning about in the year since he found Guinevere.

Guinevere has changed his life in other ways, Fields said. A stretchable dog leash he invented to make his runs with the dog easier has led him and Minassian to start a new business of pet toys and accessories.

The contests will begin at 7:30 a.m. and include two races 2.1 miles long, one for people only; a 1.6-mile race for those 18 years and under, and a one-mile fun walk. There will also be demonstrations of guide dogs for the handicapped, Frisbee-catching dogs and police dogs.

Those who want to volunteer are asked to call the Volunteer Center of the San Fernando Valley at (818) 908-5066.

The Descanso Gardens in La Canada Flintridge is accepting applications for its docent training program for volunteers who will conduct tours for schoolchildren and adults. Training sessions will include classes in botany, animal physiology, ecology, the history of the gardens and tour techniques. An orientation class will be held Sept. 7 at 9 a.m., with classes continuing every Wednesday until Nov. 16. For more information or to apply, call Jim Jackson at (818) 248-1083.

The Japanese Gardens at the Donald C. Tillman Water Reclamation Plant, 6100 Woodley Ave., Van Nuys, will begin a training program at the end of July for volunteers interested in becoming docents. For information call (818) 756-8166 from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.

Project Caring, sponsored by the Jewish Family Service of Los Angeles, is looking for small groups of volunteers to adopt a nursing home in their neighborhood, to visit monthly and provide programs to the residents that relate to Jewish culture and holidays. For information, call Kay Ginsberg at (310) 859-9336 or Tara Eisner at (818) 905-2125.

The Visiting Nurse Assn. of Los Angeles is looking for volunteers to work with terminally ill patients in the Santa Clarita Valley area. Volunteers in the hospice program help patients to face their illnesses at home, and offer support to their families. A training session is scheduled for July 30. Interested volunteers should call Barbara Balke at (805) 287-1985.

Volunteer tutors are needed to help adult immigrants learn to speak, read and write English in the English as a second language program at the Glendale YWCA, 735 E. Lexington Drive. An orientation meeting with no obligation will be held at 7 p.m. Aug. 3. Workshop sessions will be on four consecutive Saturdays from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. beginning Aug. 6. Information: Nena Kelty at (818) 242-4155, Ext. 26.