One Foot, One Paw, One Mission: Step Up for the Paws for Freedom 5K

Some races are about a finishing time.

Some are about a medal.

And some are about who you are running for.

On Saturday, October 24, the Paws for Freedom 5K Run & Walk will bring runners, walkers, veterans, first responders, families and supporters together on Long Island to raise money and awareness for the work of Paws of War.

And this one hit very close to home for me — in more ways than one.

I’m a U.S. Army veteran. I’m also someone whose life has revolved around dogs for decades: working with them, training them, photographing them, walking and running beside them, and learning repeatedly just how much can happen when there is a dog on the other end of the leash.

That is one of the reasons the mission of Paws of War immediately gets my attention.

Helping Both Ends of the Leash

Paws of War works with veterans, first responders and rescued animals through programs that include service-dog training, animal rescue, veterinary assistance, support for veterans with pets and efforts to reunite deployed military personnel with animals they bonded with overseas.

It is an intersection I understand well:

Dogs. Veterans. Health. Movement. Community. Purpose.

Put those together, add a 5K, and you have my attention.

The Paws for Freedom 5K

The Paws for Freedom 5K Run & Walk is scheduled for:

Saturday, October 24, 2026

Heckscher State Park / East Islip, New York

The event is presented by Knights of Columbus Sunrise Council 6607 in support of Paws of War and its work with veterans, first responders and rescue animals.

But this isn’t simply about covering 3.1 miles.

Participants can also take part in a Field of Flags honoring fallen heroes. Runners and walkers are encouraged to wear red, white and blue, with a Best Dressed Contest planned as part of the day.

There will also be awards for top runners and age-group finishers, food trucks, commemorative activities surrounding America’s 250th anniversary and custom race shirts for the first 300 registered participants.

The event registration page also specifically welcomes trained service dogs and provides guidance for participating service-dog teams.

Every Dog Has Been Part of the Miles

When I look through my own photographs, I don’t just see dogs.

I see miles.

I see Scout

I see Liberty.

I see Justice.

I see Benji.

I see Monty.

And today, I see Freedom.

Different dogs. Different chapters. Different miles.

But there has always been something powerful about moving forward together.

One foot.

One paw.

Another foot.

Another paw.

Sometimes you’re training.

Sometimes you’re recovering.

Sometimes you’re grieving.

Sometimes you’re celebrating.

And sometimes you’re moving simply because moving forward is what you need to do.

That’s part of what makes an event like this meaningful to me.

A 5K can be exercise.

But it can also be remembrance.

It can be community.

It can be service.

And it can help somebody else take the next step.

You Don’t Have to Be the Fastest Runner

This is a run and walk.

You don’t have to break a record.

You don’t have to be an experienced racer.

You don’t even have to think of yourself as a runner. (Although we are all runners inside- BOTH 2 and 4 legged alike- when I was with LI Dog their motto was Born to Run meaning the dogs!)

You simply have to be willing to move.

Walk it.

Run it.

Run walk it.

Do your 3.1 miles your way.

Because the important part of this starting line isn’t how quickly you reach the finish.

It’s why you showed up.

One Foot. One Paw. One Mission.

At Doggone Healthy Choices, I talk a lot about building a healthier, happier life alongside our dogs — one foot, one paw at a time.

This October, those footsteps can support something even bigger.

They can support veterans.

They can support first responders.

They can support rescued animals.

They can support the extraordinary relationships that can form between a person who needs a dog and a dog who needs a person.

So, I’m passing this one along to you.

🐾 READY TO TAKE THE NEXT STEP?

Register for the Paws for Freedom 5K Run & Walk — Saturday, October 24, 2026.

Race information can change, so please check the official registration page for the latest start time, location details, pricing and participant information before race day.

Maybe I’ll see you somewhere along those 3.1 miles.

One foot. One paw. One mission.

The Letter I Kept

There was a time in my life when “moving forward” was much more than a phrase.

Then, in 1998, while I was still in the Army, a Sergeant First Class wrote me a letter that I have kept all these years. He saw potential in me. He encouraged me to keep trying, to continue challenging myself and not to allow someone else to determine what I could become.

He also acknowledged something that mattered deeply: he had heard me being belittled and harassed, and when I wasn’t there, he did something about it.

This letter was written to me in 1998 by a Sergeant First Class who encouraged me to keep going. I have kept the original ever since.

One line still jumps off the page at me all these years later:

“Pam GO FOR IT!”

And then came another message I needed to hear:

don’t let anyone tell you that you cannot become or achieve something.

When my Army career ended, I wasn’t simply trying to figure out where to work next. I was trying to figure out what came next in my life after losing the career path, structure, professional contacts, community and direction I had worked so hard to build.

That is part of why veterans’ stories matter so much to me.

There can be an enormous story behind the person wearing—or who once wore—the uniform. Sometimes another person sees something in us at exactly the moment we are struggling to see it ourselves. Sometimes “keep going” becomes something we carry for decades.

And sometimes moving forward really does begin with one more step.

Then your existing post resumes unchanged:

“That’s part of what makes an event like this meaningful to me.”

Have a happy and healthy tail wagging day,

Pam & Freedom

Doggone Healthy Choices

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