DAPHNE, Ala. — Cold weather and a slight drizzle didn’t keep a number of dogs from racing down Main Street on Saturday.

The weather also didn’t stop a charitable deed from happening.

Daphne residents and dogs pushed through the cold on their way to the finish line, participating in the 10th annual “Animal Rescue 5K Run and 1-mile Fun Run” to help raise money to rescue suffering animals in Baldwin and Mobile counties.

Race director James Pennington was unavailable to give an estimate on how much money was raised, but he said earlier that exact figures would not be tallied until later this week.

Some participants raced with their hands free, and some brought the leash out and had their dogs along for a jog or a stroll through downtown Daphne.

Gil Walton, of Montrose, won the 5-K race with a time of 16:27. Shawn Hinton of Perdido Beach and Nick Fasanello of Fairhope finished in second and third place one minute after Walton.

But the king of the dogs was Boadie, who finished with a time of 21:39, the first dog to cross the finish line in the 5-K race.

“I love it,” Boadie’s owner and race companion, Fairhope resident Richard Zimmerman, said. “He loves it.”

Boadie kept pace with his companion, unlike other canines.

“He slowed me down,” Daphne resident Kayla Olson said about running with her dog, Borris. “It was probably a little more tiring than I remember.”

Other dogs were — as some people say — “walking the owner.”

“Yes he was,” said Melinda White when was asked if her dog, Captain, was leading the way to the finish line. “And I was dragging her,” she added, referring to 8-year-old Kelleen White, who occupied one hand while Captain pulled the other.

Pennington said around 300 people attended and participated in the event, and the proceeds would benefit the Baldwin County Humane Society, the Fairhope Cat Coalition and the Azalea City Cat Coalition.

“Out of all the races we run, this is the most fun,” Dan Mulera said. His wife, Debbie, agreed. “It’s so much fun. We look forward to it all year,” she said.

“I think it went really well other than the weather, but there’s nothing we can do about that,” Pennington said. “But I think everyone had a good time, and the dogs had a good time, and that’s what is most important.”

See more photos in the Dec. 22 edition of The Bulletin.