All for the Dogs event draws Corrales crowd

CORRALES — The first day of fall in Corrales was filled with the sound of jazz and joyous dogs as residents turned out for the "All for the Dogs" event, a fundraiser to help purchase training equipment for local business Run-It Agility.

Residents of Corrales brought their dogs to Corrales Park for Sunday's fundraising event, which took place from 3-6 p.m. on Sunday afternoon.

Run-It Agility is a dog training center that opened in the village last fall after owner Kelsey Culbertson moved to town and bought land near the village center.

"We bought this property and it had this fence," Culbertson said. "It was enclosed, so we converted it to an agility course."

Culbertson immediately opened her property to dog-loving students, and word-of-mouth spread about her skill as a trainer and the supportive environment at her facility.

It turns out the equipment necessary for a full training facility is not cheap. According to J&J Dog Supply, a retailer of canine agility training equipment, an intermediate training set can cost $7,500 to $12,500.

With limited resources, the Run-It students and trainers decided to take matters into their own hands.

"The folks in the red shirts are the trainers, and they sort of took it upon themselves to put on an event for equipment for the (training) field," Culbertson said. "They did so much work. I'm so proud of them."

The centerpiece of All for the Dogs was the canine agility course. Throughout the afternoon, Run-It students and instructors took turns running their canine best friends through the course, jumping over hurdles, ducking into tunnels, running over seesaws and getting plenty of claps and treats at the end of it all.

The event, a collaboration between Culbertson and Entourage Jazz, a Corrales-based jazz ensemble run by vocalist Emerson Corley.

"We are here for these dogs and to get the equipment (Culbertson) needs for these dogs," Corley said to the crowd. "What you see over (in the agility course area) is just the bare minimum that's needed. And every dollar raised goes to get the A-frames and other equipment that's needed."

Entourage Jazz is an award-winning Jazz ensemble (2022 New Mexico Music Award winner for "Best Vocal Perfomance" for Corley's rendition of "How High the Moon") that performs jazz standards.

Corley also introduced Sol Flower Jazz, a new jazz ensemble comprised of recent high school graduates.

Also in attendance were numerous food trucks, including Dawgs for Charity, of course.

More than a dozen vendors also turned out, from artisans to doggie day care to pet therapy.