Renowned Dog Behaviorist Cesar Millan And Beloved Great Dane Scooby-Doo Delighted Families And Dogs At The Second Annual National Family Pack Walk

BURBANK, Calif., Oct. 1, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Cesar Millan, Scooby-Doo and Warner Bros. Consumer Products took over the National Mall for the Second Annual National Family Pack Walk on September 29, in Washington, D.C. Pack leaders, Cesar Millan and Scooby-Doo, accompanied by an estimated ten thousand friends and supporters, gathered at the National Mall for the "One Million Paw March."

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Dog lovers around the country also joined the movement, which united pack families in a series of community Pack Walks, led by North Shore Animal League America shelter partners and Mutt-i-grees Curriculum partner schools, occurred during the weeks leading up to the National Family Pack Walk day event. The Pack Walk movement benefits the Cesar Millan Foundation's cause of promoting animal welfare by supporting the rescue, rehabilitation and re-homing of abused and abandoned dogs and by establishing community humane education programs, including the Mutt-i-grees Curriculum.

"The Pack Walk supports a mission that is close to my and Scooby-Doo's heart – that is the rehabilitation and adoption of unwanted and abandoned dogs," said Cesar Millan.  "With America's favorite canine Scooby-Doo as my partner, we will work to ensure dogs everywhere have the best quality of life."

Families loved the 55-ft Scooby-Doo themed balloon floating over the National Mall, interacting with Scooby-Doo and the engaging games at the Mystery Machine and many other kid-friendly activities and entertainment.  

"We are excited to bring this family-friendly event to D.C. in an effort to ensure dogs everywhere get the chance to live a healthy and happy life," said Karen McTier, Executive Vice President, Domestic Licensing and Worldwide Marketing, Warner Bros. Consumer Products. "This year we've expanded the Pack Walk to include more educational activities and offer fans and dog-lovers around the country a chance to participate in local community events to get involved and raise awareness to help Scooby and Cesar accomplish their mission."

In honor of Scooby-Doo, the official "Pet Ambassador" for the Pack Walk, families enjoyed the heart-warming tale of Scooby's adoption, "Scooby-Doo, Where Are You?," with the Scooby-Doo interactive Storybook Buddy™ at the family-friendly Expo following the one mile Pack Walk.  A commemorative new release from Hallmark, the interactive Storybook Buddy™ plush toy interacts with readers and can be used online and with a free, interactive iPad app, available at www.hallmark.com/Scooby.

The National Pack Walk and the family- and pet-friendly Expo that followed were free and open to the public and included an afternoon of fun activities, including:

• Entertainment, activities and education throughout the day, including hometown celebrity Pat McGee joining the fun; CollectiveUth Dance Troupe; a 55-ft Scooby-Doo balloon over the National Mall; and an exciting sneak-peek at the all-new Mystery Machine making a pit-stop at Pack Walk before it embarks on its regional tour
• Patriotic support from quintessential community partners included the Smithsonian's National Museum of American History, the National Children's Museum and D.C. Public Library
• Crayola Barks & Crafts: A kid-friendly area featuring Scooby-Doo Color Wonder activities
• MysteryPiece Theater: A screening room previewing Warner Home Video's Big Top Scooby-Doo! and Scooby-Doo! Mystery Incorporated episode "Theater of the Doomed" on Cartoon Network
• Fur-Real Photo Booth: A digital photo booth with a green-screen backdrop to capture the day's memories
• Pawformance Stage: Entertaining and informative demonstrations by professionals on dog agility, dog dancing and dog disc-play
• Ruh-Roh Run Around: A pet paradise for social dogs to enjoy off-leash play; staffed with trainers to offer pet owners tips and advice
• Scooby-Doo Scavenger Hunt: A Scooby-Doo mystery with a patriotic twist
• Barkcade Games: A variety of interactive Scooby-Doo board games from Pressman
• North Shore Animal League America Mobile Adoption Unit: Up to 60 dogs from local D.C. shelter, Homeward Trails, were available for adoption
• Pack Pals Pawvillion: Informational booths from community partners including National Children's Museum, D.C. Public Library, Run Around Hound, Rockin' Rover, MAD Dog and the International Association of Canine Professionals
• Smithsonian National Museum of American History: Cesar Millan kicked off the inaugural programming celebrating Hispanic Heritage Month at the museum

National Sponsors included Hallmark with a demonstration of the new Scooby-Doo Storybook (available at all Gold Crown stores now); Purina ONE with special treats; Vetericyn with on-site veterinarian check-ups offered throughout the day; Best Western; and Nat Geo Wild. The North Shore Animal League America shelter partners and Mutt-i-grees Curriculum partner schools also hosted on-site events. For a full listing of activities, visit www.scoobypackwalk.com. All proceeds supported the Cesar Millan Foundation's efforts to help rescue, rehabilitate and re-home shelter animals.

For more information on the National Family Pack Walk at the National Mall – and on local events around the country – visit www.ScoobyPackWalk.com.

About Warner Bros. Consumer Products

Warner Bros. Consumer Products, a Warner Bros. Entertainment Company, is one of the leading licensing and retail merchandising organizations in the world.

About The Cesar Millan Foundation

Animal activist and world-renowned dog behaviorist Cesar Millan officially established the Cesar Millan Foundation with the mission to create and deliver community humane education programs and promote animal welfare. Since its inception in 2007, the Cesar Millan Foundation has provided grants and materials to non-profit animal organizations to support the rescue, rehabilitation, and rehoming of abused and abandoned dogs, mobilized emergency assistance through the Daddy's Emergency Animal Rescue (DEAR) Fund, and contributed critical funding and professional insight to develop The Mutt-i-grees Curriculum with The Pet Savers Foundation, in collaboration with Yale University's School of the 21st Century.  For more information visit www.millanfoundation.org.

About North Shore Animal League America:

North Shore Animal League America - Home of the Mutt-i-gree® - headquartered in Port Washington, NY, is the world's largest no-kill animal rescue and adoption organization. The Animal League reaches across the country to rescue, nurture and adopt 20,000 pets into happy and loving homes each year. Over the past decade, the Animal League saved over 200,000 lives and has saved over 1,000,000 animals since its inception. To learn more about animal rescue and welfare, visit www.AnimalLeague.org.

About The Mutt-i-grees® Curriculum

The Mutt-i-grees® Curriculum is an initiative of the Pet Savers Foundation, the program and policy development arm of North Shore Animal League America (Animalleague.org) – the world's largest no-kill animal rescue and adoption organization. For nearly two decades, The Pet Savers Foundation has been an industry leader and innovator in the field of companion animal welfare. The Pet Savers Foundation has a history of creating mission-driven, groundbreaking programs that are piloted and then adopted by shelters nationwide.

The Mutt-i-grees Curriculum was developed in collaboration with the Yale University School of the 21st Century, and was graciously funded by The Cesar Millan Foundation.

SCOOBY-DOO and all related characters and elements are trademarks of and © Hanna-Barbera.

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SOURCE Warner Bros. Consumer Products