Posted by Christina Dun

Some dogs are cut out for more than just playing in parks and running around the house — they have what it takes to be trained to help people with visual or hearing impairment, physical disabilities and other medical conditions. The Purina Walk for Dog Guides is a national event, held in more than 250 communities across Canada, that raises money to help train dog guides. Each walk is organized by local volunteers, with support from Lions Foundation of Canada. This year’s national walk date was Sunday May 27

Last week, I got to cover Woofjocks with the PETnews team. While the Purina walk in Toronto didn’t have dogs jumping over hurdles or running through obstacles, there were plenty of enthusiastic canines — and their owners — on hand to enjoy a great day for a great cause. Purina president Karen Kuwahara was there with her dog Belle to do the official leash cutting, which kicked off the walk down Queen’s Quay.

All photos by Christina Dun. Follow her blog HERE.

Our hearts were a tiny bit broken the other day when we came across the story of Napoleon, a lively Boston terrier from White Plains, New York who’s had a rough time of it — he was recently forced to undergo emergency surgery to remove his left eye, apparently the result of an unfortunate misdiagnosis. You can find out more at his Web site, Napoleon’s Story.

Napoleon’s human, Chelle, is hosting a benefit this Friday March 30 to raise funds to cover veterinary costs, and you can get involved by making an online bid in the silent auction. Check out the auction items and place your bids HERE.

Our hearts go out to this little guy, and on behalf of The Pet Network family, we wish him health and happiness.

The Pet Network is pleased to support, once again, Toronto Marlies Dog Day!

The Marlies, the American Hockey League affiliate of the Toronto Maple Leafs, are inviting hockey fans across the Greater Toronto Area to bring their dogs to the game on Saturday April 7, when the team squares off against division rivals the Grand Rapid Griffins. The puck drops at 3 pm.

Tickets in the Doggy Section at Ricoh Coliseum (100 Princes Boulevard, Toronto) are a mere $15, plus a $5 donation to support the Ontario SPCA.

Want to win free tickets to the game, so you can take your pooch? Just visit our FACEBOOK PAGE  any time between now and Monday April 2 at 5 pm ET to enter the Marlies Dog Day contest. Good luck!

CLICK HERE to visit the Toronto Marlies online. CLICK HERE for more information on the Ontario SPCA.