Before the starting routes even opened Saturday morning, Riverfront Park was already buzzing with the kind of energy that only hundreds of dogs can create.
A golden retriever wearing a bright bandana posed patiently for photographs. A pair of dachshunds tugged their owner toward a crowd gathering near the registration area. Children crouched down to greet passing puppies while volunteers handed out event materials and directions. Everywhere you looked, tails were wagging.
By midmorning, hundreds of people and their four-legged companions had transformed Salem’s waterfront into one of the most cheerful gatherings Oregon will see this year as the annual Doggie Dash fundraiser returned to the capital city…