“Woof woof” sounded a lot like “cha-ching cha-ching” to the Turlock Animal Shelter on Sunday.

The first ever Turlock’s Paws for a Cause 5K Dog Walk fundraiser was a resounding success, generating more than $1,700 for the shelter.

“I was amazed at the generosity of our community,” said organizer Andrea Goodwin. “We raised so much more money than I was expecting.”

Even more impressive, more than $1,000 was raised just on the day of the event. Despite asking for a $10 donation per dog, the approximately 50 canine attendees – and more than 150 humans at the park – gave far more, some with $100 donations.

The fundraiser, held at Turlock’s Sunnyview Dog Park and organized as a student project by a group of seven California State University, Stanislaus students, centered on the aforementioned 5K dog walk. But the event also featured obstacle course and nose work demonstrations by Good Dog Dog Training, a flyball exhibition from Ball Haulers, and the crowd-pleasing doggie costume contest, won by a bulldog dressed as a turtle.

Also on site were three animal rescues and the Turlock Animal Shelter, with myriad furry friends to adopt out. The rescues lent out puppies to dog-less individuals for the 5K walk, giving the animals some much-needed exercise and potential owners a chance to get familiar with the sheltered pets.

That led to the event’s single greatest achievement in Goodwin’s view: three dogs and one cat were adopted on Sunday, with another dog adopted Monday because of the dog walk.

“I think people really just fell in love with the animals they were walking around the track,” Goodwin said.

To contact Alex Cantatore, e-mail acantatore@turlockjournal.com or call 634-9141 ext. 2005.