Every Step Made a Difference: Celebrating the 2026 World's Largest Pet Walk
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Together, pet lovers stepped up to celebrate the human-animal bond and support the life-changing work of Pet Partners therapy animal teams.
What happens when animal lovers come together for a shared purpose? Every step becomes an opportunity to make a difference.
On Saturday, September 26, 2026, Pet Partners supporters celebrated the World’s Largest Pet Walk, an annual event bringing people and pets together to support the power of the human-animal bond.
From neighborhood sidewalks to local parks and community gatherings, participants walked in their own way, at their own pace, united by a shared love of animals and a commitment to helping others.
This year’s event was another reminder of the incredible things we can accomplish when we come together for a cause we care about.
Celebrating the Impact of Every Step
Thanks to the dedication and generosity of our walkers, fundraisers, sponsors and supporters, the 2026 World’s Largest Pet Walk made a meaningful impact.
Here’s a look at what our community accomplished together:
- $133,000 raised to support the Pet Partners mission
- 1,066 walkers participated
- 79 teams joined the event
- 39 states and 29 countries represented
- 27 Pet Partners Community Partners participated
These numbers represent people who chose to make a difference. Whether participants walked with their pets, gathered with friends, or supported the fundraiser from afar, every contribution helped move our mission forward.
Funds raised through the World’s Largest Pet Walk support Pet Partners’ work to prepare and register therapy animal teams, provide ongoing education for our volunteers, and help expand access to safe, supportive therapy animal visits.
These visits bring comfort and connection to people in hospitals, schools, senior living communities, and other settings where the presence of a therapy animal can make a meaningful difference.
Every step taken during the World’s Largest Pet Walk has helped create more opportunities for these moments.
Thank You to Our Generous Sponsors and Partners
The World’s Largest Pet Walk would not be possible without the generous support of our corporate sponsors and community partners.
We extend a special thank you to Wellness Pet Company, our presenting sponsor, for supporting this event and helping celebrate the important role pets play in our lives.
We also recognize our 2026 event supporters and sponsors:
- Proud Supporter: Baxter Foundation
- Gold Sponsors: Blue Shield of California and Pet Genie
Through their generosity, these organizations help bring people together, amplify awareness of the human-animal bond and support the continued growth of the Pet Partners mission.
We are also grateful to our Community Partners, volunteer leaders, and local event organizers who helped bring the World’s Largest Pet Walk to life in communities across the country.
From organizing group walks to encouraging neighbors to participate, their enthusiasm helped make this nationwide celebration possible.
To every sponsor, partner, and supporter who helped make this event a success, thank you!
Meet our 2026 Walk Champion: Rob Duval
Meet Rob Duval and his therapy dog, Sybil, our 2026 World’s Largest Pet Walk Champions!
Since becoming a registered Pet Partners therapy animal team, Rob and Sybil have volunteered nearly 200 hours, bringing comfort and connection to hundreds of patients, families and staff.
Every Friday, they visit patients at a psychiatric hospital, where Sybil has become a favorite for her gentle nature and love of cuddles. They also volunteer at community events throughout Fairfield County.
We’re grateful to Rob and Sybil for representing this year’s walk and showing how meaningful therapy animal visits can be!
Celebrating Our Sneaker Awards
The celebration continued as we recognized the creativity, enthusiasm and dedication of this year’s participants through our World’s Largest Pet Walk Sneaker Awards!
These awards highlighted the individuals and teams who went the extra mile to make the event memorable.
Some awards given out this year were Top Community Partner to Pet Partners of Fairfield County; Top Corporate Team to Baxter; Top Friends & Family Team to Legend’s Pet Partners Community; Most Volunteer Hours Logged to Julie Wing; Top Fundraiser on a Team, Points Pro to Hope Garza; Top Rookie Community Partner to Pet Partners of Northwest Arkansas; and Trailblazer Award to Ella Smith.
From creative fundraising efforts to spirited group walks, participants found wonderful ways to celebrate their pets while supporting a meaningful cause.
You can watch the full awards ceremony here.
Congratulations to all our award recipients, and thank you to everyone who brought their enthusiasm to this year’s event!
Looking Ahead: Keep Momentum Going
The 2026 World’s Largest Pet Walk may be over, but there are plenty of ways to continue supporting the Pet Partners mission.
Save the date! The next World’s Largest Pet Walk will take place on Saturday, September 25, 2027. We hope you’ll join us for another celebration of pets, people and the connections that bring us together.
In the meantime, you can continue making a difference by supporting Pet Partners in ways that are meaningful to you.
Become a Pet Partners volunteer. Do you have a pet that loves meeting new people? Learn how you and your pet could become a registered therapy animal team and bring comfort and joy to people in your community.
Make a donation. Your generosity helps Pet Partners prepare and support therapy animal teams and expand access to meaningful visits
Stay connected. Follow Pet Partners on Facebook, Instagram and LinkedIn for inspiring volunteer stories, upcoming events and opportunities to get involved.
Whether you participated in the walk for the first time or have supported us for years, there is always a place for you in the Pet Partners community.
Together, We’re Making a Difference
To everyone who walked, fundraised, donated, sponsored or cheered us on during the 2026 World’s Largest Pet Walk, thank you!
Your kindness and generosity help make our mission possible. Because of you, more people can experience the comfort, connection and joy that therapy animals bring.
Every step mattered. Every participant made a difference. And together, we’re helping build happier, healthier communities through the human-animal bond.
