From tiny pups to lifelong companions: BluePath walkathon celebrates a decade of impact

YORKTOWN, N.Y. - BluePath, the nonprofit that provides trained service dogs for children with autism, will hold its largest annual fundraiser this weekend at FDR Park in Yorktown Heights.

“It’s a fun, community-focused day,” says Michelle Brier, the organization’s CEO. The Walkathon kicks off Saturday morning, May 9, at 10 a.m. and runs until 1:30 p.m., offering walks of varying lengths, food trucks, bounce houses, local vendors and more. Sensory friendly, the event reduces noise and other triggers that could impact attendees with sensory sensitivities. A “quiet tent” will also be available.

Since its inception 10 years ago, Brier says, the Walkathon has raised more than $1.5 million to support BluePath’s programs and services. The service dogs, which are provided to families at no charge, cost more than $40,000 to breed, raise and train, the organization estimates.

To cover those costs and others, Brier says, the Walkathon raises funds through sponsorships, ticket sales—$35 for adults and $25 for children—donations supporting walkers and the event overall. “This year, we anticipate welcoming approximately 500 participants and have set a fundraising goal of $215,000,” she says.

A cadre of dedicated volunteers helps prepare the dogs for their service role. In Katonah, Nina and Jeff Kellogg have been doing this kind of work for more than 30 years, starting with Guiding Eyes for the Blind in 1995 and now with BluePath. They host the program’s raw recruits, pups taking their first steps in a pipeline that produces fully trained service animals, ready to help an autistic child, after about two years.

“The pups come to our home with mom when they’re about 10 days old, eyes still shut,” Nina says. “Once their eyes open, the different personalities start to show themselves right away—a really wonderful and magical evolution to see. We give the pups a lot of attention, handling, playtime, new experiences—sights, sounds, textures—and love.”

When Peaches, a yellow Labrador retriever, gave birth to seven pups a month and a half ago, the Kelloggs took them in, fostering them until “at 6 weeks old, they go to socialization homes, then on to their puppy raisers, who will teach them more lessons, for the next 15 to 18 months,” Nina says. At that point, formal training begins, with professionals teaching the animals their service-dog skills for about six months before they’re placed with families.

The Kelloggs are retired now, Nina from town government after almost three decades as deputy town clerk and Jeff as general manager of Kelloggs & Lawrence, the landmark Katonah hardware store his great grandfather founded in 1887. But they found time to volunteer even while working.

“With both of us working within a mile of our home, and being home at lunchtime, that enabled us to take care of mom and the pups while we both had full-time jobs,” Nina notes. “Our children, Alice and James, were also involved in taking care of mom and the pups, giving them a lot of care, time and attention.”

Brier, for one, appreciates the Kelloggs’ ongoing service. “We are incredibly grateful to be the beneficiary of their support,” she says. “So many of our service dogs carry a piece of the Kellogg family with them as they go on to change lives.”