To celebrate Independence Day, I took my dogs Koa and Lau Lau to Riviera Village in Redondo Beach, California, to participate in the Village Runner Redondo Beach 4th of July 5K.

We were running and walking to help raise funds for Rover Rescue, a local dog rescue organization that saves dogs from Los Angeles shelters and helps them find permanent homes (my original post is here).

Koa and Lau Lau are trying to remain calm before the race starts.

Dave and I adopted first Koa, then Lau Lau, from Rover Rescue, and we admire and respect the commitment they have to find the right home for the dogs that they save. We want to make sure that all dogs find a safe and loving home.

Running along the Esplanade in Redondo Beach. Summer mornings are usually like this due to the “marine layer.”

I posted here, and on Facebook, and asked friends and family to donate money. Although it was a bit of a last-minute fundraising effort, I’m pleased to report that we raised $600 for Rover Rescue! We are still accepting donations. If you would like to contribute, visit the pledge and donation site here.

The group at the front is already on their way to the finish line.

Koa and Lau Lau were dressed in red, white and blue bandanas to celebrate the birthday of the U.S.A., and I wore my U.S. Soccer hat and Rover Rescue t-shirt. The boys were very excited on race day, probably because of all the people gathering before the start of the race. We stopped by the Rover Rescue tent to visit our friends there. We saw a group of runners from their vet, Family Pet Clinic of Redondo Beach, and even said hi to the vet tech who recognized them (Koa thought he seemed much nicer when he wasn’t trying to poke and prod him).

The race begins!

The race started at 8:00 am, and while everyone dashed off, we waited a bit so that we’d have more room to run – zig-zagging around walkers and runners is a bit more difficult with two dogs on leashes.

We walked and ran the course, and while we weren’t particularly fast, we sure had fun! We finished with a race time of 42:04.

Dave found us along the way and took some action photos. You can see more photos of the entire race in the Village Runner 5K Facebook page and on their website.

After the race, the boys posed for some photos.

Thank you to everyone who contributed to my efforts on behalf of Rover Rescue. Koa and Lau Lau want to especially thank dogs Travis, Charlie, Natalia, Lizzie, Mario, and Luigi for their donations. It’s nice that both two and four-legged donors support us!

There’s still time to donate – help us reach our goal of $850! Click here to contribute!

We had so much fun running with fellow neighbors and citizens from all over the South Bay, and loved seeing everyone in red, white and blue. Look for us to race again next year!

How did you celebrate July 4th?