How can you beat a birthday that includes racing wiener dogs?

I’ve been on cloud nine for a week now after my birthday party. I can’t begin to tell you how much fun I had at my party last Saturday. The entire day was just delightful. We had doxie’s racing, Ahn’s Tae Kwon Do doing a magnificent demonstration, a Bibb County sheriff’s K9 showing us how she searches for explosives, dogs and cats getting shots, kids eating cupcakes and music that was fabulous.

The setting at the Georgia Industrial Children’s Home was simply breathtaking. Their 200 acre campus is gorgeous and they were so generous to share it with my nonprofit animal welfare group, Central Georgia CARES. This year, we set up the party in a different area of the campus to include a cabin for our vaccine clinic and an area for our Doxie Derby and it couldn’t have been more perfect.

Our vaccine clinic offered low cost shots in a safe, enclosed cabin. We couldn’t have built a more ideal place for our veterinarian, Dr. George McCommon, to take care of the dogs and cats who came to the party.

We had so much participation from volunteers to help us as well. Of course, thanks to Miss Linda Finley, Alberto and the incredible kids from the home who help us every year. We couldn’t do it without them and we’re so grateful for their eagerness to help.

Thanks to Mr. Josh Nowell and Ms. Betsy Holcomb, we had fantastic students from Mount de Sales Academy volunteer as well. They were helping mark off the grounds, carrying bags of dog food, getting water for the canine guests, carrying tables, just anything they could do to help us. Thank you so much Mount de Sales!

A huge word of appreciation goes to our law enforcement friends from Macon-Bibb and Monroe County Sheriff’s Office. The immensely talented K9, Athena, came to give a demonstration of locating hidden explosives and watching her work was fascinating.

We were so fortunate we had the opportunity to present Monroe County deputy Chad Beck a certificate of honor in memory of his K9, Zeus, who recently passed away. We’re so very thankful for the K9s and their handlers who work to protect us.

Thanks also to Bibb Sheriff David Davis and his wife, Miss Lili, who have loyally attended CARES activities. They’ve been there for me since we began.

And then there was the music. Oh my goodness, what an unbelievable treat. If you weren’t able to join us at the party, I can’t even begin to describe what you missed. Miss Torri Barnette Broxton and her husband, Mr. Jerry, brought Miss Torri’s vocal students. We were rocking in the pines to the songs of Aretha Franklin, Carrie Underwood, Journey and more. It was amazing. A very special thanks goes to Miss Annette Barnette for arranging the music and for really helping with the Doxie Derby.

Speaking of the Doxie Derby, it’s hard to even recall it without giggling. It’s just about the cutest thing you could imagine. Wiener dogs with short little legs running their hearts out to get to the finish line. And those guys are competitive, too. They all wanted to win.

In the end, Hebrew, the rescue doxie who’d been found by Miss Kelley Lunsford after he was spotted dragging a chain around his neck, took the top prize. But it was a tight race with Otto, an energetic boy who loves balls, and Trudy, the tiny, 4 ½ pound girl, coming in second and third.

Thank you to everyone who participated in my birthday party and to those who brought pet food so CARES can help feed hungry dogs and cats. CARES and I are so very grateful to you for assisting us in continuing our mission of helping animals and the people who love them.

This story was originally published March 1, 2017 at 7:45 PM with the headline "How can you beat a birthday that includes racing wiener dogs?."