By STEPHANIE BRUMFIELD / Staff Writer

HOOVER – Can your dog run a 5K? Then you might consider participating in the 5th annual Paws for the Cause 5K or 1 mile fun run.

Sponsored by the Animal League of Birmingham, this pet-friendly event has benefited the Shelby Humane Society since its very beginning, providing what Shelby Humane executive director Sara Shirley calls “instrumental funding.”

“The event that they’re holding for us is huge,” Shirley said. “Every animal has to be spayed or neutered before it’s adopted or before it goes on transport. We spend $115,000 a year on spaying and neutering surgeries alone. I don’t think people know just how much it costs to operate this.

“Every little event is instrumental in helping us get these animals ready for their new lives,” she added.

The 5K and one-mile fun run/pet walk will be held Sept. 21 at Hoover’s Veterans Park with the first race starting at 8:30 a.m. Early registration closes Sept. 19 and costs $30 to participate in the 5K, $25 for the one-mile run or $35 for both.

Participants can also sign up on the day of the race. Late registration costs $35 for the 5K, $30 for the one-mile run or $40 for both. Pets are allowed to participate in all races as long as they are leashed.

Last year, the Animal League of Birmingham raised about $6,000 for Shelby Humane through the event, and with already 100 participants registered so far, race committee chairperson and member Inga Clum said she hopes to raise even more money this year. The goal of the group is to raise money to help local animal rescues and shelters, she said.

“All of us are volunteers,” Clum said. “We all just have the one thing in common – we care about animals, and we want to help our community.”

For the winners, gift baskets will be given to the top dog, the overall winner and the overall male and female winners in both the 5K and one-mile runs. Gift baskets include items such as dog books donated by Books-A-Million, gift cards to restaurants, pet supply coupons from local pet stores and a variety of running accessories.

Participants also receive a T-shirt with registration as well as race bags with gifts like ChapStick, notepads, perfume samples and dog treat samples.

To register, go to Theanimalleagueofbirmingham.com or Active.com.