I had a GREAT time today!! So did my daughter, Jessica and her friend Emily. I will be dropping a check off to St. Hubert’s as well. I don't know why I did not do this before hand!   

The trails were clearly marked; the volunteers/race marshal's, etc were very nice, cheerful and supportive. You had a FABULOUS team to help you! WAY to go!!!  It was worth all the effort! I can't wait until next year!  Harry is enjoying a well deserved nap! He loved it!  Count me in for help for next year!  Sue Merberg 

Thanks for the great race today.  The course was excellent and well manned by all the volunteers.  Bailey and I had a great race too!”  Paul S. Yurga

Thanks so much for such a great event!  Katie and I had a blast! (I write this as she is unconscious at the moment- grin!)  And I'm sure I'll sleep soundly as well after attending my H.S. reunion tonight!   

Thanks again - I really loved it today and you're an amazing person for pulling together the right team of people, the freebies, and everything else. All the best, Pat Guest 

What a wonderful race. Jersey and I had a wonderful time and can't wait for next year! Thanks again for a great day and great job by all of the staff!  Jersey & Glenn Hartrick (winners of Houston Dog Race) 

The race went well today.  Thanks for including me and allowing me to help with such a worthy cause.  I was flattered by your introduction today.  Can't believe you've been doing this every yr since 1997 (?).  Lauren Kolesa (sponsor LMK Nutrition LLC and former teammate of race director)  

My 2nd year as volunteer was SO MUCH FUN, Barbara!  I can't wait to see you all again next year.  Hope to have 1-2 more volunteers with me!  The finish line fun was SUPER and the awards ceremony worth the wait.  What a glorious day -- all due to your lead!

Many many thanks.  God bless you. Denise Carlson 

This is a fantastic event, and you do such a magnificent job.  I was glad to contribute in a small way.  Thanks for all of your commitment, effort and results.  Mike Prebenda 

Thanks Barbara, for all your work and dedication for this event! It showed! This was my first time running this 5K, and was my favorite race to date! The dogs were fun, and the cause is worth it.  Thanks again, Lori Robertson 

Great job on the race, once again. It is a pleasure for Moose and me to participate. Daryl Brewster 

Thanks for allowing me and my daughter to be volunteers and part of this race. We loved the whole experience.  My daughter actually walked the whole distance with two dogs and was thrilled after the same.  We would surely love to be a part of the experience the next year hopefully running that time.  Samir Bhangle. 

Thanks for a great day.  A tired dog is a happy dog.  Looking forward to next year! Debbie Kelly 

Congratulations on another successful event!  Susan Brookman 

I can't believe it has been five years since I ran the race with Comet.  My husband ran a couple of years ago.  Regardless, I had a blast and you and your support group did a fabulous job.  Thanks so much.  Yes Comet is curled up dreaming about his day. Thanks again.  Nancy Willis 

All the course marshals had fun as well. This is a very well run race and a great tribute to you!  As a new race director I have learned a lot from you!  Now you can get some well deserved rest!  Cande Olsen 

Once again, thank you so much.  Beautiful day.  I am a little disappointed with our time, but it was hard to gauge how it would go.  I knew I was a few pounds heavier than a good running weight, and got some decent running in but did not run anything structured that I could compare to other years of training. 

One problem might have been Dillon.   He ran way too hard for me.  He pulled me like a freight train for 2 miles before he settled a little and that just finished me.  I knew we were running too fast when I was even with Chuck Paul at close to a mile.  We had a little conversation on the course.  It went like:
Are you Chuck?
Yes, who are you?
I'm Mark
DePiano?
Yes
How's it going
Fine, except I'm used to seeing your back.......I'm going too fast  

Well. he beat me by about 35 seconds.  Dillon was pulling me too fast.  I was done at 1.5 miles.  But that's OK.  He evidently had a good time, but he picked several fights at the ceremony.  He just doesn't like other dogs.  Thank you again.  Mark DePiano 

Just wanted to thank you for Hanson's shinning moment and congratulations on a job well done!  Gary Farishian 

Grady Blu and I wanted to thank you for such a fun day (you obviously have connections somewhere with the weather person).  My dog was smiling form the minute we pulled into the parking lot until we got home.  He was snoring so loud later in the day that you may have heard him at your Florham Park address.  He was definitely dreaming of the cute bearded collie that ran next to us during the race! 

Soooo fun, thank you!  Karen Giacomantonio and Grady Blu 

Had a great time as always. You are a terrific organizer!!!   See you soon.  Peter Brody (sponsor Murray Hill Vet Associates) 

Another great job!   Thanks for organizing the Paws from the Past.  At a few weeks shy of 14, Beri walks slowly now and is a bit unsteady on her feet. But when she left the starting line she actually RAN.  At the finish, she was just as excited as if she had completed the whole race!  (and so was I)  For the past 7 races, she's always finished with a strong sprint.  It was as if she wanted to do the same for the senior run on Saturday.  I also think she enjoyed hanging around for the main race and being part of the excitement at the finish line.  Thanks again, Greg Mandak &  Beri 

Another fantastic race.  Ron and I had to leave early to head to Cape May for a wedding, but wanted to thank you for another great race.  The course was great, and the weather was perfect.  Max and KC always love the race.  Max at 13 is still going strong, too!  Thanks,  Tracy Brown 

Thank you so much for allowing us the opportunity to participate in the Hounds and Harriers race.  We all had a blast!  Thank you for being so helpful with everything as well.  You did an awesome job organizing this event and we can't wait until next year!  

 Both humans and dogs loved their goody bags. Jeff and Laurie Fidacaro 

Great race!  Thanks so much for organizing it.  Sparky and Gretl had a great time.  They were tuckered out Saturday evening – they both said hello to a lot of other dogs and enjoyed the race.  The park did an excellent job with the trails and the volunteers were well placed.  Your race is the highlight of our running year and I look forward to running in it again.  Great job!  Best regards, Robin Dawson

I was glad to help out again. Thanks for the report and the pictures. I recommend photos 990 and 991 because they show the greatest contrast in length of leg between hound and harrier.  Cordially,   Charlie Courtney 

Thank you sooo much!  I truly enjoyed, again, volunteering for the Hounds and Harrier's race on Saturday.  And, love the t-shirt!  The article in the Daily Record also was wonderful.  Ruth Selle 

Thank you so much for organizing this event yet again.  You and the team do such an amazing job, and our entire family had a wonderful time.  We look forward to the race all year, and Otter already cannot wait until 2009.  Thanks once again for everything.  Best regards,  Chris Joralamon 

Boo and I never did get a chance to thank you for all your hard work and dedication to the race and all the behind the scenes work as well.  We had a wonderful time and a great day.  We hope to see you again next year!!  Ron Reich and Boo 

The calendar reminds me how many of these races you have done and how successful they are .. I just keep coming back.  The dogs are getting slower, especially Gretl.  Sparky likes hanging back with the pack and socializing.  Gone are the days when he used to tow me for the first mile or so.  I think there are so many older dogs because they started H&H when they were young and want to keep coming back too. 

Another great day, great race and only 363 more days to the next one and I'm counting. 

It was nice to see that the dog that collapsed was taken care of immediately and crossed the finish line on all fours, smiling. 

I'm so glad my sister-in-law, Joann got me involved with your race.  You and the race have become an important part of my life.  Best wishes, Susan Dawson 

One again a great race and a great day.  I was thinking we might be getting close to E.D.'s last couple of races, but after Saturday I think he has a few more in him.  I do not know what happened that day but he ran his fastest time so far.  I think it might have had something to do with all the people and especially the volunteers rooting the dogs on.  I do not think I ever notice how encouraging the people along the course were.  

I know you said it gets tougher to put on the race every year, but hopefully it will continue for many years.  Thanks for a great day.  Peter Hyland 

It sounds like the race was a success again this year! Great....Maybe next year Bridgit can do it. Seems she recovers from one thing to get another. Second case of hookworms with a UTI to boot....poor girl. I am always wondering what is next but it could be worse.... 

Hope you are well and enjoying the beautiful fall weather. Sponsor Julie Corbin,Ph.D. (pet bereavement counselor)) 

Thanks for your help with lodging. We stayed at the Hilton.  It was nice there and the race was only 10 min. away. We'll be back next year and be sure to let us know if you hear of any similar races you know of. 

I had to conserve some energy for the Steamtown marathon yesterday but when I felt so good I let it rip that last 1/2 mile and I wish I knew I was so close to the leader, I would have kicked a little sooner. By the way I did a 3:12 marathon yesterday and it was probably due to the high from your event.  Again thanks again for a job well done. See you next year.  Kevin Bandru/Ralpf and Stephanie Folmer/Julie  

As always thanks for such a nice event.  Kate and I were about 10 seconds behind the 1st master’s winner. I though about passing them for about 3 seconds.  We could have easily done it but I was really afraid to push Kate.  I am really glad that I went with her instead of the Monster.  Miles, my daughter's dog.  He is much fast, but eventually he will get his chance.  In fact Miles and I ran 26 miles today in preparation for NY, and he had no trouble.  Bill Winterbottom 

Well deserved tributes!  I thought it was the smoothest run ever!  Congratulations. Carolyn Currey, St Hubert’s  

We are so sorry we had to miss the race, my Molly some how hurt her dewclaw a couple days before the race.  As it has gotten much better and she seems to act fine walking on it, when I touch it she still cries. We love the race so we will be there next year.  I would love to get my shirt and goody bag for Molly.  Can I pick it up at Runners Haven?  Thanks so much and again we were so disappointed that we could not run, as Molly and I love the race.  Sincerely Margaret & Molly Rooney 

This was sent to me from a posting on the Essex Running Club’s Yahoo group  

Sorry I didn't post my race report earlier - I was house/pet sitting for my parents and had no Internet (ah!). 

I ran this past Saturday with my beagle/husky mix Lucy at "Hounds and Harriers" in Morris Township. I have to say I think is the best experience we've ever had, and we've run the race 5 years now. The trails in Loantaka Park were all freshly covered with fine gravel which made the footing easy. The goody bag at this race was great - edible treats for me and for Lucy. We also got a few toys and even a leash. The t-shirt was cute, too, with a cartoon of two dogs that are begging to go running.  

Even though Lucy is slowing down a bit now that she's older and I haven't been running my best lately, we still did well - 23:35 by my watch (don't know the official time yet). We received an award for "2nd dog with female companion." We were technically 4th, but some of those in front of us got prizes for special categories (1st shelter dog, 1st small dog, 1st large dog, and 1st veteran dog) and the race director doesn't give duplicate awards.

I think that next year, as Lucy gets older, we probably won't be in contention for any awards. We'll still be going though because it's just too much fun. In a couple of years when Lucy can't do the 3 mile race any longer, we'll do the "Paws from the Past" dash the race director has for dogs which have retired from running. Best,  Jill Sanders and Lucy 

Thank you so much for organizing this event. This was our first year.  My husband John ran with our 18 month old corgi, Hammie. They had a blast!  We plan on many future events! Sending along my photos of the race and event happenings.  Peggy Doyle 

Thank you so much for thinking of us.  Poppy is doing very well.  He is still his old self. He became dehydrated less than a half a mile to the finish line.  He just stopped and laid down on the grass.  Thankfully, a nice guy with the #109 stopped to see what happened and got someone to come help.  Dr. Brody was wonderful! very patient and caring with Poppy.  I think I may have found a new vet :-).  I had run with Poppy last week, and he didn't show any signs of possible dehydration.  He was running very fast in the beginning of the race, and I know he has gained a few pounds because I haven't been running as much as I used to because of work.  My dad Victor had a great time as well and he was so happy to have ran with our dog Rex (who I ran last year).  I finally got him to run this year! Thanks again for another successful event run!  Warmly  Grace Cabanilas 

We all had such a nice time. We are looking forward to doing it again next year!  Karen Bores 

Please know that I’ve been looking for a few minutes to call and tell you how much we appreciate all you did to make the Hounds and Harriers a rousing success.  The article in the Daily Record was really nice – good publicity.  So please know that I will be calling soon to hear more about your race and thank you properly.  Meantime know that you have a special place in the hearts of many of the animals here – and me too!! Elizabeth McCorkle, President St Hubert’s Animal Welfare Center 

Congrats on a successful event. Great coverage -- thanks for emailing the articles. And very nice picture of you and Sunchi. Daisy and John looked very cute, I know a guy doesn't like the word cute, but the two of them were cute.  In am glad the weather was excellent, from the photos it was a beautiful day. Hope all went well from your point of you. ha det bra, hilsen Grete Waitz  (ha det bra, hilsen are two Norwegian greetings.  Ha det or Ha det bra are usually a closing like “By!” where Hilsen can be a Hello or a Good By…Hope I don’t have to tell you who Grete Waitz is!)

Once again, thanks for putting on a classy, fun event!  It was a great day and our dogs and ourselves greatly enjoyed it. The improvements to the trails were a really nice plus. It's always a pleasure to be around so many canines and their running friends.  Your efforts are appreciated and your concern for the welfare of participants, both 4 footed and 2 footed is noted.  And of course the underlying cause--help for the homeless dogs, is the best reason of all to be out there!

 I do some work with a group here in central PA, Furry Friends Network, to put on a 5k in September at a local state park.  This year was our third annual "Race for Their Lives" and all of the money raised goes directly to the care of rescued dogs and cats.  We do a run/walk and have had almost 200 participants in our last 2 years.  I designed the course which is mostly on the trail system at Gifford Pinchot State Park.  It's a lot of fun, and as you know, a lot of work.  But the results have been well worth it for the homeless animals which it benefits.

So please, keep up the great work with "Hounds and Harriers"!  I run almost solely with my 2 Vizslas everyday, as most of my old running friends are, well, too old or too busy to run anymore.  Our dogs are always ready to go and never offer excuses.

I appreciated the award at the run last week.  It was very kind of you.  I did check my mileage on our return home.  It's almost 185 miles, one way, from our house to Morris Township.  You keep having "Hounds and Harriers" and we'll keep coming back!  Best wishes and regards,   John & Lisa Heycock

Sadly, Trinity passed away early Monday morning, September 29th.  We were planning on going however we were not going to do the 3 mile race as she has been sick the past month and did not think it would be a good idea to have her run (even though she would have if she saw all the other dogs run).  I just wanted to say thank you for hosting this event for the past several years and that you and everyone involved does a wonderful job, and that Trinity loved going to this event.  I'm attaching a picture of us from the 2006 run. She was so excited and happy to be there.  It makes us very sad that she wasn’t able to make it.

Thank you so much again for giving us the opportunity to bring this joyous event to Trinity's life.  Please keep us on the newsletter and these email listings as we'd still like to contribute and be a part of Hounds and Harrier.  Regards, Gloria and Tien Tran

Thanks again for a great event. I know you put your heart and soul into this race each year and it shows. Sneakers enjoyed the race - he tried to pull me along but a uncooperative hamstring prevented us from going any faster. We will be back next year ready to run. Thanks again. Kevin Higgins

As I mentioned John was so excited to run with our corgi, Hammie. Wow! Only the 2nd corgi to run in the race!! Well - they are not known for their sleek running legs - just their ability to herd us around the house!  Thanks again - looking forward to next year (maybe we'll even run with our other corgi, Wishbone)  Peggy Doyle

Thanks for another great day - as always Tracy and I, and the pooches, really enjoyed it.   Ron Brown

Thank you so much for organizing such a wonderful event. It was a great experience for Cleo (Greyhound) & I. I have had Cleo since she was ~2 1/2. She is now 5 & in all that time she has never pulled on her leash... until the H&H run! I run with her ~3x/ week & she always stays at my side or behind me. It seems to have something to do with the way they are trained. But when the 149 other dogs around her started to move she really seemed to know it was a race. I think she was a little disappointed having me as an anchor. ;)  Thanks again for everything.  Shibu Kinaturkara

As usual, you ran a textbook perfect race.  You should be proud.  Carolyn Currey, St Hubert's Director of Community Services

I'm so impressed that Grete Waitz complimented your race.  Any chance she'll ever run one?   

I think we all agree. You organize the best race on planet.  Best wishes, Susan Dawson 

I am writing to thank you for your work in organizing the runs over the last few years. Athena and I have enjoyed them immensely. We are moving to San Diego next week and it is unlikely that I shall be able to do any more running in NJ.  Thanks again and the best of luck with future events.  Alan Strang

The following two notes came in before the race:  

With huge regrets I will have to cancel my spot on the list for the race.: I play ice hockey and I just found out we will have a game October 11 at 1pm in Philly. Since I would be cutting it really close, I will have to cancel out of the race. I can't even miss the game, since I am the goalie for my team.

Anyway, I'm really bummed out about it, but I do hope my spot will be filled. Maybe next year again.  You are doing a great job for the dog and dog lover community!  Katja Schmidt

Sadly, Trinity passed away early Monday morning, September 29th.  We were planning on going however we were not going to do the 3 mile race as she has been sick the past month and did not think it would be a good idea to have her run (even though she would have if she saw all the other dogs run).  I just wanted to say thank you for hosting this event for the past several years and that you and everyone involved does a wonderful job, and that Trinity loved going to this event.  Although we couldn't make it last year as we were away, I'm attaching a picture of us from the 2006 run, she was so excited and happy to be there.  It makes us very sad that she won't be able to make it, being that it is less than 2 weeks away.

Thank you so much again for giving us the opportunity to bring this joyous event to Trinity's life.  Please keep us on the newsletter and these email listings as we'd still like to contribute and be a part of Hounds and Harrier.  Regards, Gloria and Tien Tran