Walk & Wag for One Health Event

LOHA is excited to announce the 4th annual Walk & Wag for OneHealth 5K, 3k Fun Run, and Educational Event. This year's event will also have some special Veterans Day One Health features, since we will share the day with Veteran's Day! The event will be held at The Grove at Heritage Square in Sulphur on November 11, 2023 in celebration of the International One Health Day. The 5K will be a timed competitive race, and the 3k Fun Run will be open to both people and their dogs to celebrate One Health Day! This event is an effort to highlight the human/animal bond and to raise awareness of One  Health- the interrelationship of Human, Animal, and Environmental Health. In addition to the 5K race and 3K fun run, the day will be filled with a variety of ways to have fun and learn about One Health while celebrating the human and animal bond.

Participants will learn about One Health and One Health topics at the Kids Zone, Dog Zone, and Educational Zone. 

-The Kids Zone will include an inflatable activity, animal face painting, and a variety of other fun activities as they learn about the water cycle, pollinators, and plants.

-The Dog Zone will include a Smooch Your Pooch photo booth for fun pictures with your dog, best dog trick contest, and best dog costume contest. Calcasieu Parish Animal Control will be present to assist with dogs. They will also have dogs available for adoption that day as well. 

-The Educational Zone will cover a variety of One Health topics presented by local medical professionals, veterinarians, master naturalists, and other public health advocates. Along with having a great time, some of the projected topics to be covered at the event are:

-Common animal infections that can also infect humans 

-Importance of flea and tick prevention for animals to deter the spread of disease

-Effective tick removal for humans and animals

-Ways to prevent the spread of mosquito borne disease (presented by the Calcasieu Parish Mosquito Control)

-Information about the importance of vaccines (presented by the LDH)

-Nature and the benefits to our well being

-Reintroduction of the Whooping Crane in Louisiana

-Other One Health topics

Quizzes from the educational zone will be submitted for door prize drawings. A silent auction will be held and lunch will also be available for purchase. Proceeds from this event will go toward supporting The Bartonella Project at NCSU Intracellular Pathogen lab under the direction of Dr Ed Breitschwerdt.