Man Walks 50 Dogs on His 50th Birthday and Raises Nearly $12,000

This Ohio man loves dogs more than people and found the perfect way to celebrate his 50th birthday.

Alex Johns had given the big 5-0 a lot of thought over the last year.  His mantra became "Fifty by 50."  He found a way to do something he loves and make a positive impact at the same time as he explained in a recent Facebook post,

You probably know by now that I love dogs more than people. This is why I volunteer to walk dogs weekly at Cincinnati Animal CARE Humane Society...

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Johns decided to walk 50 dogs at the Cincinnati Animal Care Humane Society on his 50th birthday.  He also asked friends and family to donate money to the animal shelter instead of getting him gifts.  Poof! A magical fundraiser was born.

Team de la Vega decided to help by matching all donations up to a total of $5,000.  On December 6th at 9 am, Johns walked the first of 50 dogs in one day.  140 people donated to his birthday fundraiser on Facebook to the tune of $6,796.  He did zoomies right past his $5,000 goal.  With the addition of the sponsored match, Johns raised $11,796 that he says will go directly to the animal shelter where he regularly volunteers.

The Cincinnati Animal Care Facebook page chronicled John's progress with adorable pictures.

Kalamazoo has an incredible, no-kill animal shelter that is in need of help.  Maybe you know someone that wants to do something similar to help the SPCA of Southwest Michigan?  Animal lovers, if this inspired you and you would like to volunteer, donate, adopt or foster click here.

In the meantime, let's look at adorable dog pictures.