Pet owners run in memory of loved ones lost at unique St. George event

ST. GEORGE — When the Santano family walked across Rainbow Bridge during the I Heart Pets fun run last weekend, they paused to remember their golden retriever, Buddy, who recently died.

Rainbow Bridge is a pet memorial at St. George's Tonaquint Nature Center and was part of the 5K/10K race that was created for pet owners to show their love for their pets, present and past.

"We lost our Buddy, a purebred golden retriever, a few months ago," Natalie Santano told KSL. "We've had him since he was a puppy, and it was a big loss for our family. He was almost 10 years old."

The family of 10 dressed in memory of their furry family member and carried Buddy's picture along the way.

"Since our kids are so young, many of them don't have memories without Buddy, and the older kids remember when we brought him home," Santano said. "We also have ducks and chickens, and Buddy would lay beside the chicks and protect them. This is our first race as a family together, and being able to honor Buddy and race in memory of him was extra special."

St. George Races director Aaron Metler said the I Heart Pets event was created for the community.

"We love to take feedback from the community, and they said they wanted a race with pets," Metler said. "We're here to serve the community, and we'll do what the community wants to see. If they want a pet race, we're doing a fun pet race."

This year's race had 250 pets and their accompanying owners. Metler said he loves this race because it's all about the pets.

"We don't worry about timing," Metler said. "We have special awards, like 'The Oldie' for the oldest pet and one for the youngest. We also have a best dressed award. There are no awards for overall winners. We want people to have fun with their pets and not drag their pets through a race."

Rocky Shalby's golden retriever, Zara, won the award for the "Most Regal Racer," which in human terms means dignified. Zara was dressed in her "go-to outfit" complete with shoes, sunglasses, a bright pink helmet and angel wings.

Both Shalby and Zara crossed Rainbow Bridge, not in memory of a pet lost, but of an owner gone too soon.

"I recently lost my husband last February, so the anniversary's coming up," Shalby said. "He had prostate and bladder cancer. He had those removed and was cancer-free. He was doing immunotherapy, and on his third session, it totally wiped him out, and he just never recovered. It was all of a sudden.

"(My husband) would always give Zara treats," she continued. "She'd follow him everywhere and always nudge his pockets because he always kept treats in his pockets. She thinks that every man has treats in their pockets. She loves to go and nudge their pockets. She loved him, and he loved her, too."

Shalby said that she heard about the race last year, around the time her husband died, but couldn't run it then. This year, however, she knew she needed to sign up, and she and Zara completed the 10K.

"I've been trying to get out and do things with Zara, so I'm more occupied," Shalby said. "We do a lot of walking, but I figured we would just try this race out. This was our very first race. I thought we'd better go big or go home."

"I'd do the race again," she added. "Zara just loved it. She's always happy. I need that right now."

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