We Run Winston is the local running community hub of Winston-Salem, brought to you by our friends at Fleet Feet, with one goal: grow the Winston-Salem fitness community. We Run Winston is your home for fitness AND community. What is We Run Winston? “For 2022, we continue to evolve We Run Winston.  In early 2020, COVID brought about many new challenges and put an abrupt end to our group training programs.  We are slowly getting back to the We Run Winston program as we know it!  For 2022, We Run Winston will remain the umbrella program for everything running at Fleet Feet Winston-Salem! If you want to be part of something really special- it’s our local running community.  And nothing feels quite as LOCAL as We Run Winston.  Here’s your chance to take advantage of all that the local running community has to offer and score some incredible offers all year long through Fleet Feet Winston-Salem!  Our mission for We Run Winston is to cultivate an involved group of ambassadors that love the sport of running and living a fit life.   We Run Winston offers members a well-rounded umbrella program of workouts, training, education, and pure running enjoyment.  Throughout the year we may offer different programs and opportunities…..and you can jump in as a member any time.” We are grateful for partnerships with such community focused organizations like Fleet Feet and We Run Winston. Together in 2023 we will be able to offer training programs that go hand in hand with our Mutt Strut 5k walk and run. There will be opportunities to learn how to best walk or run with your dog so that your companion and side kick can come with you on wellness excursions and so that you feel confident in your ability to take on the mileage while doing so with a group committed to the wellbeing of themselves and their furry friends. We also wanted to take a moment to honor the memory of the beloved Gail Whitlock who we ran for at this fall’s Pumpkin and Paws fun run with Fleet Feet. Gail worked closely with Fleet Feet and enjoyed helping others. She delighted in the outdoors; hiking and running; and participated in the Chicago Marathon. Gail loved animals. She had a radiant smile. She was an amazing person, so very loved and will be greatly missed by the community. Keep an eye out for more details regarding Mutt Strut, our partnership with Fleet Feet and We Run Winston along with other opportunities to meetup in community and companionship right here in Winston-Salem! Written by Kristen Williams

Julia donated lights through our Lights of Hope campaign for the loves that have passed. They are pet’s she has had throughout her life. She dropped in with some great stories of the ways these pets have impacted her life over the years and we are happy to share them with you. I think you will find that she, too, was a great influence on their lives. Thank you Julia, for taking in these babes and giving them an amazing life! “I donated lights for my loves that have passed. They are the pets I have had over the years since I was about 3. I could talk forever about each one. They all have different little personalities. Leroy (tuxedo cat) came from the animal shelter at the age of 1. He was the king if the house. We called him the house manager. I could talk about him for days. There was just something about Leroy… he was smart and bad but also a cuddle bug. You were NEVER alone because he was always with you to supervise. You couldn’t close a door because he would bust it down. He talked a lot and would talk back to you. He lived to be 13 and passed of cancer. Mo (gray and white cat) came from someone who was deploying overseas and was going to be taken to the animal shelter. She was the sweetest little thing. She never weighed over 5 pounds. She was always kind of puny. She must have been the runt of the litter. She was 4 and lived to be 16, died of cancer. Leroy and Mo were good buddies, they lived together for about 10 years. Zeke (Belgian malinois dog) was supposedly trained for law enforcement but grew to be too big for what they were looking for, so we took him in at the age of 2 and he lived to be 10. He was a Belgian malinois with a psychotic amount of energy. He was big and wild but my sweetie. I could tell 1,000 stories about Zeke. He helped me lose 136 pounds because he was my cardio buddy. He was a big dog and died of old age. Castor (Belgian malinois dog) was a sheriff’s office K9 who got retired due to a hip injury at the age of 8. His handler didn’t want to care for him and their plan was to just put him to sleep. They couldn’t “give him away”, so I bought him for $1 to keep him from being euthanized just because no one wanted to care for him. BEST. DOG. EVER. He was 8 when I adopted him and lived to be 11. He was a big dog and not well cared. He had been given a lot of aspirin to treat his hip pain and he eventually died of a GI bleed. He had a glorious retirement with us.  Matthew (black cat) came from someone whose roommate moved out and left the cat and the guy was going to take him to the shelter, so I took him in. He was 9 when I adopted him and lived to be 12. He died of renal failure but we tried the best we could to keep him going. We were doing dialysis at home but it came time to let him pass. Babee (Persian cat) will always have a soft spot in my heart. I found some teenagers throwing something around. Someone tossed it over a fence and I realized it was moving. I walked over and saw that they were tossing around a kitten. I took her from them and took her home. She was a tiny little white fuzzball. She had fleas and ear mites and her fur was a mess. We cleaned her up and she became the princess of the house. She had a love/hate relationship with Gabe. If he was sitting beneath her, she would knock stuff off on him. She lived to be almost 20 and died at home of old age. Gabe (gray cat) I found in the dumpster where I worked, so I brought him home and he became my dad’s best buddy. He was an adolescent cat, not full grown. He was a whopper… 20 pounds of attitude. He lived to annoy Babee and sulk around the house. He died at the age of 12 due to diabetes. Kittie (calico cat) was a stray that hung around outside of our house. The neighbors were feeding her and giving her water out of kindness but when we found out what they were feeding her and one was giving her water out of a tin he used to drain antifreeze into, we took her in and made her an indoor cat. She wasn’t very bright but she was sweet. I have always wondered if the little bit of antifreeze had some adverse effect on her brain development. If she heard you with a bag of potato chips, she would stalk you down. She was a scrawny adolescent when we took her in and lived to be 14 when she died of old age. Before she died, she had gone deaf and Babee used to stick by her side and lead her around.  My parents got Mickey (pomeranian dog) when I was 5. He was a Christmas present, so I don’t know where he came from. He was a little wild man with an attitude but also very sweet. He was my little buddy from kindergarten all the way to my freshman year in college. He lived to be 14 and died of old age.  My parents adopted Paul (gray cat) from a neighbor whose cat had 1 kitten. I was 3 when they got him, so we pretty much grew up together. He was huge. He got to 24 pounds and at 3 yrs old that made him seem gigantic to me. He was a good cat. He scared the neighbors because he was so large

Here at Forsyth Humane Society we are grateful for our Pet Food Pantry Partners across the community. These partners are the feet on the ground distributing pet food to those who need it while we care for the animals that come into the shelter in hopes of finding their forever homes. Today we are talking about the services of Fur Ever Friends who have continuously assessed our community to determine where the most critical animal welfare needs exist. Partnerships with organizations like Fur Ever Friends helps keep animals out of the shelter and helps families and pets stay together. Every few weeks authorized participants from Fur Ever Friends come and get pet food from us to share with other organizations in the community where the public can pickup pet food, for free. You can find the full listing HERE but some of the organizations include The Shalom Project, Central Triad Church, Christ Beloved Lutheran Church, Watchman of the Streets, Whole Man Ministries and Humane Solutions. This year alone we have given over 12,000 lbs of pet food just to Fur Ever Friends to then share with their community partners. The reach is throughout all of Forsyth County and we are proud of the ways in which we come together to take care of pets and the people who love them in out community! The following programs (from Fur Ever Friends website) address issues related to the most basic needs of food, shelter, medical care and quality of life. Share the Warmth Fur-Ever Friends canvases area neighborhoods and relies on tips from the community to find dogs in need of shelter and warmth during the cold winter months. Started in 2015, our volunteers have distributed 135 dog houses and 340 bags of wood shavings to help dogs stay warm and dry.  Rico Sick and Injured Memorial Fund Started in honor of, and named for, a K9 officer who was stricken with bone cancer and eventually succumbed to it. The fund is used to assist with Vet care for sick and injured animals as well as those that are victims of cruelty and/or neglect. Over the years, this fund has spent $165,000 and helped over 1,400 animals.  Nikon’s Fund Established by Fur-Ever Friends in 2016 in memory of Nikon, a heroic K9 officer, and in honor of all other K9 officers who serve and protect our community. Upon each K9’s retirement from the force, each of their handlers will be gifted a $250 retirement grant as well as financial assistance with medical emergencies during its lifetime. Cruelty Investigation and Education We have hosted training for law enforcement officers on how to identify, handle and investigate animal cruelty issues. So far, we have trained 200 law enforcement officers and Assistant District Attorneys from 30 agencies in 18 counties. We also maintain a Cruelty Fund that offers monetary rewards for information that leads to the arrest of persons responsible for acts of animal cruelty.  Prepared by Kristen Williams

My family has been a long-term foster for Forsyth Humane Society for many years. We gained a loving reputation for fostering animals that needed us most and have fostered over 1,000 dogs over the past ten years. My family has fostered large litters of puppies, mothers and nursing puppies, pregnant mothers who delivered in our living room, injured dogs, sick dogs, dogs who needed behavior intervention, and dogs who had experienced cruelty. When an animal came into the Humane Society’s intake center that fit in one of those categories, the staff would lovingly say “That’s a Shore Family dog!”  My husband Chris donated his time and talent as a foster, a videographer, and a website creator. Suddenly, Chris passed away in July 2022. He always was there to crack a joke and make everyone smile. He is deeply missed by his family, friends, and the staff of Forsyth Humane Society. He devoted his life to “leaving it better than you found it.” He loved his family, friends, and every dog that came into our home from the shelter.   A month after Chris passed away, I wasn’t sure if we could foster again. I wanted to help the animals, but it hurt too much. The Forsyth Humane Society senior manager called me about Dutchess and said, “This is the ultimate Shore family dog.”  I went to pick up Dutchess and as soon as we got home, she immediately bonded with my child CJ. Dutchess slept with CJ the first night and it was my child’s first full night of rest since losing Chris. Dutchess had found her home with us. Since we adopted her, she has become an integral part of our lives. She loves car rides, going to Starbucks for pup cups, playing in water, and dressing up in fun outfits. She brings us so much joy and happiness. Duchess truly gave us more meaning as a family.   Written By: Ginger Edited By: Carrie DuPre

This one is a story for the books. My son Easton is neurodiverse and is on the autism spectrum. One day, my son and I were visiting Forsyth Humane Society and we were not specifically looking to adopt. I knew Easton wanted a dog, but we needed to make sure we found the right fit. It turns out, Hunter choose us. Hunter was walking with a volunteer and as soon as he saw Easton, he went straight to him and gave him kisses. We were completely shocked. The FHS team informed us that behavior was a reason he surrendered. Since their love at first sight moment, Hunter and Easton started a beautiful friendship.  Hunter is entuned with Easton and it’s like magic. Hunter has learned to lay down when Easton is stimming and is calm around him. Hunter sits with Easton while he watches television and plays dress up with him. Hunter follows Easton everywhere and they are inseparable best friends.   Hunter is a lifechanging blessing to my family and I. Easton has a friend to exercise with, play with, and their friendship allows for me to have a personal moment as a parent of a neurodiverse child.   Hunter choose Easton and we are very grateful he did. They are little best friends.  Love, Easton’s Mom. Written By: Kristen Edited By: Carrie DuPre