Harbor House of Central Florida to celebrate 15th annual Paws for Peace Walk & Run
The event will take place on Saturday, April 25 at Mayor Glenda Hood Park in Orlando
WE ARE LOOKING AHEAD TO THE RETURN OF A VERY POPULAR EVENT IN ORLANDO. THE PAWS FOR PEACE WALK AND RUN IS THIS WEEKEND HARBOR HOUSE OF CENTRAL FLORIDA CELEBRATING ITS 15 YEARS OF HELPING SURVIVORS OF DOMESTIC VIOLENCE ESCAPE ABUSE WITHOUT LEAVING THEIR PETS BEHIND. JOINING ME NOW WITH YOUR INVITATION IS HARBOR HOUSE CEO MICHELLE BASEL AND THE HONORARY EVENT CO-CHAIR JIM HOBART. GUYS, THANK YOU FOR COMING ON TODAY. THANK YOU FOR HAVING US. ABSOLUTELY. FIRST, I FEEL LIKE WE NEED TO ALSO INTRODUCE THE PETITO. WHO DO YOU HAVE HERE TODAY, MICHELLE. SO I HAVE CHIPOTLE HERE HERE WITH ME TODAY. EXCELLENT. JIM, WHO DO YOU HAVE? THIS IS TEDDY. HE’S AN AUSTRALIAN SHEPHERD RESCUE. WONDERFUL. OKAY. WELL SO GREAT. THIS IS SUCH AN EXCITING EVENT. BEFORE WE GET INTO THE BIG EVENT THOUGH, MICHELLE, FILL US IN. JUST EXACTLY WHAT IS HARBOR HOUSE FOR OUR VIEWERS WHO AREN’T AS FAMILIAR WITH IT? SO HARBOR HOUSE, WHERE THE CERTIFIED DOMESTIC VIOLENCE COUNTY. AND SO WE HAVE OUR EMERGENCY SHELTER. WE HAVE OUR 24 OVER SEVEN EMERGENCY HOTLINE. AND WE ALSO HAVE A LOT OF DIFFERENT SERVICES THAT ARE IN THE COMMUNITY. AND WHAT WE’RE HERE TO TALK ABOUT TODAY IS THE FACT THAT ON OUR CAMPUS, WE HAVE A KENNEL SO THAT WHEN PEOPLE ARE FLEEING TO COME INTO OUR EMERGENCY SHELTER, THEY CAN BRING THEIR PETS WITH THEM BECAUSE THAT IS A REALLY BIG BARRIER. A NUMBER OF PEOPLE WHO DON’T LEAVE BECAUSE THEY DON’T WANT TO LEAVE THEIR PETS BEHIND. AND I WOULD GET THAT. I MEAN, THE PET BECOMES A PART OF THEIR FAMILY IN SUCH A COMFORT AND SUCH A IT’S, IT’S YOUR DOG, IT’S YOUR LOVING PARTNER THAT YOU ADORE. SO. SO TAKE ME THROUGH THAT. HOW BIG OF A SITUATION DOES THAT CREATE THEN WHEN LEAVING A VIOLENT OR VOLATILE SITUATION, BECAUSE YOU DON’T WANT TO LEAVE BEHIND THE PET. ABSOLUTELY. SO OFTEN TIMES ANIMALS ARE THE FIRST VICTIMS WHEN IT COMES TO DOMESTIC VIOLENCE AND THE FAMILY. IT’S MUCH EASIER FOR THE ABUSER TO USE THE DOG OR THE CAT OR WHATEVER ANIMAL IS IN THE HOUSE. AS FAR AS THE COURSE OF CONTROL, SAYING, I CAN DO THIS BY KICKING THE DOG AND SAY, I’M GOING TO BE DOING THIS LATER TO YOU, OR ANY TYPE OF WITHHOLDING FOOD. AND SO WHEN SOMEONE’S COMING INTO OUR EMERGENCY SHELTER, WE REMOVE THAT BARRIER BY THEM BRINGING THEIR ANIMALS WITH THEM. WE PROVIDE THEM WITH EVERYTHING THEY NEED. A LOT OF OUR ANIMALS COME IN INJURED, AND SO WE WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT WE CAN GET THEM VETERINARIAN CARE OR EVEN PREVENTATIVE CARE. OKAY. AND SO THIS WEEKEND IS THE BIG EVENT. SO WHAT CAN YOU TELL ME ABOUT THE BIG EVENT THIS WEEKEND? RIGHT. SO IT’S THIS SATURDAY, THE 25TH AT 7 A.M. WE BEGIN CHECK IN AT 8:00. THERE’S A5K RUN AT NINE. THERE WILL BE A PROGRAM WITH A COUPLE OF OUR LOCAL DIGNITARIES, INCLUDING SOME OF THE ELECTED OFFICIALS. AND THEN AT 930, WE DO THIS LEISURELY WALK THAT EVERYBODY WITH THE PEOPLE AND THEIR PETS CAN ALL PARTICIPATE IN. AND IT’S GREAT FUN FOR EVERYBODY. AND THERE’S A TON OF ACTIVITIES AND OTHER OTHER PETS. SO THERE’S, THERE’S A DOG CHASE, OKAY. THERE’S ALL KINDS OF FUN ACTIVITIES. THERE’S ALSO LIKE BOBBING FOR BALLS. OH, GOOD. OKAY. IT’S A GOOD TIME FOR ALL THE PETS, ALL THE ANIMALS. YES. THE RESCUES. JIM LET ME ASK YOU, HOW DID YOU GET INVOLVED? THE HONORARY CHAIR. CORRECT. ONE OF THEM. YES. MY WIFE AND I HAVE PARTICIPATED IN THIS FOR YEARS, AND WE THINK HARBOR HOUSE IS AN AMAZING CAUSE. AND WE’VE WE’VE BEEN VERY INVOLVED. AND A GENTLEMAN BY THE NAME OF TED MANES, WHO HAS WHO PASSED AWAY A FEW YEARS AGO, AND HIS PARTNER JEFFREY RAN THIS THING FOR YEARS, AND WE ADMIRE THEM SO MUCH. AND SO WHEN WHEN TED PASSED, WE SAID, WELL, HOW CAN WE GET INVOLVED AND CONTINUE THAT? AND SO WE’VE BEEN WE’VE BEEN A PART OF THIS FOR MOST OF THE 15 YEARS IT’S BEEN GOING. EXCELLENT. OKAY. SO PEOPLE CAN STILL GET INVOLVED. TICKETS AVAILABLE. TELL ME ALL THAT PRICING. YES, IT’S $25. IN ORDER TO REGISTER. PEOPLE CAN SIGN UP UNTIL FRIDAY AT NOON. AFTER THAT, WE’RE CLOSING IT AND THEN PEOPLE CAN COME TO THE ACTUAL EVENT, WHICH IS GOING TO BE AT HARBOR PARK IN BALDWIN AREA, BALDWIN PARK AREA. AND OTHERWISE, PEOPLE CAN REGISTER BY GOING TO HARBOR HOUSE, FL.COM BACKSLASH PAWS. OKAY. GOT IT. LITTLE TRICKY. YES. IN ORDER OR YOU CAN JUST ACTUALLY JUST LOOK UP PAWS FOR PEACE 2026 AND PEOPLE CAN REGISTER THAT WAY. AND ONE THING THAT’S REALLY IMPORTANT ABOUT THE KENNEL PROGRAM THAT I WAS TALKING ABOUT IS THAT IT IS 100% FUNDED BY THE COMMUNITY. WE DON’T HAVE ANY GRANTS THAT PAY FOR THAT, AND THIS EVENT IS WHAT MAKES THAT HAPPEN. AND SO OUR GOAL IS TO RAISE $90,000, 20,000 OF THAT IS SPECIFICALLY JUST FOR THE MEDICAL CARE. THERE’S A LOT OF EVENTS THIS WEEKEND. AND SO IF PEOPLE CAN’T COME TO PAUSE FOR PEACE, WE JUST SAY, IF YOU’RE INTERESTED, GET INVOLVED, DONATE. IT’S REALLY IMPORTANT SO THAT WE CAN CONTINUE THIS LIFE SAVING, LIFE CHANGING PROGRAM. FOR SURE. IF THEY CAN’T BE THERE IN PERSON, MAKE THE DONATION BECAUSE IT GOES TO SUCH A GREAT HELP. ALL THE ANIMALS THAT ARE BEING RESCUED. MICHELLE WHILE YOU’RE HERE, I JUST DO WANT TO MENTION ONE THING OR ASK YOU ABOUT THIS. WE HAVE A TERRIBLE DOMESTIC SITUATION THAT HAPPENED IN SHREVEPORT, LOUISIANA. EIGHT CHILDREN KILLED. JUST WHEN YOU’RE WAKING UP TO SEEING THAT HEADLINE, THIS IS YOUR LIFE’S WORK. YOU KNOW, HELPING THOSE WHO ARE IN DOMESTIC ABUSE SITUATIONS. WHAT ARE YOUR THOUGHTS WHEN YOU SAW THAT TODAY? ABSOLUTELY TRAGIC. WHEN I SAW THAT THAT IS THE WORST CASE SCENARIO OF WHAT WE EVER WANT TO HAPPEN, HAVE HAPPENED IN A DOMESTIC VIOLENCE SITUATION. AND SO ONE THING THAT I’M PROUD ABOUT WHEN IT COMES TO DOMESTIC VIOLENCE SERVICES IS THAT WHEN SOMEONE REACHES OUT FOR HELP AND THEY CALL THE HOTLINE AND THEY COME INTO THE EMERGENCY SHELTER, THEY ARE SAFE. AND WHEN YOU ARE WORKING WITH A PROGRAM, YOU’RE 99% GOING TO SURVIVE THAT DOMESTIC VIOLENCE SITUATION. AND SO THAT’S WHAT I THINK OF. I THINK ABOUT IT SO PREVENTABLE. IT’S SOMETHING WHERE WE NEED TO HAVE A LOT MORE AWARENESS. AND SO THAT THE MOM IN THAT SITUATION, THE CHILDREN IN THAT SITUATION WOULD KNOW DIFFERENT RESOURCES ARE AVAILABLE BECAUSE THAT’S MY PIECE, IS THAT THIS IS THE WORST CASE FOR IT TO HAPPEN. AND I WANT OTHER PEOPLE TO SAY, IF I’M IN THIS SITUATION, THERE’S A WAY FOR ME TO GET OUT. OKAY. THANK YOU FOR SHARING THAT. WOULD YOU APPRECIATE IT? AND, AND OBVIOUSLY ALL THE WORK THAT YOU GUYS DO. SO THANK YOU FOR COMING ON TODAY, JIM, AND GOOD LUCK THIS WEEKEND. I HOPE YOU GUYS HAVE A FULL CROWD, LOTS
Harbor House of Central Florida to celebrate 15th annual Paws for Peace Walk & Run
The event will take place on Saturday, April 25 at Mayor Glenda Hood Park in Orlando
Updated: 9:29 AM EDT Apr 20, 2026
Nearly 400 walkers, runners and their dogs will gather in Orlando for Harbor House of Central Florida’s 15th Annual Paws for Peace Walk & Run Saturday, April 25.The event raises awareness and funding to provide a safe place for survivors of domestic violence to bring their pets. All proceeds will directly benefit the Paws for Peace Kennel, one of seven on-site, free-standing domestic abuse kennels in the state of Florida and the only in Central Florida. Harbor House is the first domestic violence shelter in Central Florida to build an on-site kennel keeping families together and one of only a small percentage nationwide that accepts pets.Participants can expect a costume contest, pet vendors, activities and much more. The nonprofit organization’s CEO Michelle Sperzel and event c0-chair Jim Hogart join WESH 2 to preview the event. Saturday, April 25, 2026Registration opens at 7 a.m.5k run start at 8 a.m.Ceremony at 9 a.m.Walk starts at 9:30 a.m.Mayor Glenda Hood Park4990 New Broad St., Orlando, FL 32814Click to here learn more, register and donate.
ORLANDO, Fla. —
Nearly 400 walkers, runners and their dogs will gather in Orlando for Harbor House of Central Florida’s 15th Annual Paws for Peace Walk & Run Saturday, April 25.
The event raises awareness and funding to provide a safe place for survivors of domestic violence to bring their pets.
All proceeds will directly benefit the Paws for Peace Kennel, one of seven on-site, free-standing domestic abuse kennels in the state of Florida and the only in Central Florida.
Harbor House is the first domestic violence shelter in Central Florida to build an on-site kennel keeping families together and one of only a small percentage nationwide that accepts pets.
Participants can expect a costume contest, pet vendors, activities and much more.
The nonprofit organization’s CEO Michelle Sperzel and event c0-chair Jim Hogart join WESH 2 to preview the event.
Saturday, April 25, 2026
Registration opens at 7 a.m.5k run start at 8 a.m.Ceremony at 9 a.m.Walk starts at 9:30 a.m.
Mayor Glenda Hood Park
4990 New Broad St., Orlando, FL 32814