Presented once again by our generous friends at Beginnings Credit Union, on Sunday, October 11 2026 at 11:00 am, we will celebrate our beloved pets by Marching for the Animals with family and friends to benefit the SPCA of Tompkins County.

Celebrating 25 Years of Open-Admission, No-Kill Sheltering!

On what will surely be a beautiful fall day, we’ll gather at 11:00 a.m. at the Stewart Park Pavillion, at the base of gorgeous Cayuga Lake, for a fun and relaxed March with our friends, family, and four-legged companions!

This year’s March for the Animals is about so much more than a walk!

2026 marks an incredibly special milestone for the SPCA of Tompkins County:

Our 25th anniversary as the nation’s first open-admission, no-kill shelter!

For the last 25 years, we have been proving that every animal deserves a chance regardless of age, medical condition, circumstance, or need.

That's 25 years of opening our doors.

25 years of second chances.

25 years of saving lives.

25 years of finding families.

And 25 years of a community coming together for animals in need.

We want YOU to be a part of this extraordinary celebration!

Following the march, we’ll enjoy a relaxed lunch with fellow friends and animal lovers in the spacious and historic Large Pavilion, which has been a part of Stewart Park for more than 100 years.

Comfortable picnic tables inside the pavilion offer generous seating for lingering conversation and celebrating together. There are bathrooms with running water, free parking, and a paved walking path, making Stewart Park a wonderful place to spend the day with your family — including the furry members!

We’ll have delicious, bagged lunches with a sandwich, chips, and a cookie to keep us all sweet!

To celebrate this very special 25th anniversary year, and to make sure you look fabulous with your pet, and we have our 2026 March for the Animals T-shirt for participants with our 25th anniversary logo in crisp white!

Once again, the incredibly talented Rachel of Rachel Philipson Photography will be joining us to capture those wonderful moments with you and your pets along the walk.

Her photographs from past Marches have given us some true gems and we can’t wait to see what she captures this year!

The March for the Animals Makes a Difference

Paws down, the March for the Animals is our most important fundraiser of the year.

And in this milestone year, your support means more than ever.

The SPCA of Tompkins County relies deeply on the funds raised through this event to provide shelter, food, medical care, love, and a second chance to more than 1,600 animals every year. 

That’s 365 days a year.
52 weeks a year.
All day, every day.

Since 1902, the SPCA has been here helping animals survive and thrive and we’ve been able to do it because of the generosity of people like you. 

We are not exaggerating when we say that YOU make our work possible!

Your registration, your fundraising, your donations, and your willingness to tell others about the SPCA all help us continue this lifesaving work for another 25 years and beyond.

Gifts of any amount truly add up and help us reach our fundraising goal.

Help Us Celebrate by Showing Your Support

Ask your friends, family, co-workers, and neighbors to join you in supporting homeless and vulnerable animals in Tompkins County.

Ideally, we hope you’ll raise $100 in addition to your registration fee to help make an even greater impact.

And when you ask people to support you, tell them why the SPCA of Tompkins County is important to you:

Tell them about the animal who changed your life.

Tell them about the pet you adopted.

Tell them about the animal you helped.

Tell them why having a shelter committed to finding homes for every adoptable animal in our community matters.

Tell them why 25 years of lifesaving work is worth celebrating.

Then invite them to celebrate with you.

Join us for the 2026 March for the Animals and help us celebrate 25 remarkable years of giving animals a chance at the lives they deserve.

25 years. Thousands of lives saved. One extraordinary community.

We can’t wait to celebrate with you!

Ready to join in on the fun?

Just click on the REGISTER button at the top of the page!

Complete our brief registration form, choose your lunch, your t-shirt size, pay your registration fee, and you are ready to start your fundraising page and start or join a team.

Mark Sunday, October 11, 11:00 a.m., on your calendar to join your SPCA animal-loving family.  Support the animals who need our collective love and care. 

Come march with us!