Mighty Dog Walk fetches 11th Guinness World Record

Austin-area dogs and their owners brought home an 11th Guiness World Record Saturday morning at the 22nd Annual Mighty Texas Dog Walk.

The Mighty Texas Dog Walk is the annual fundraiser for Service Dogs, Inc. — a Dripping Springs-based nonprofit which provides service animals for individuals with physical disabilities, including wounded veterans and other disabled Texans. Each year, the event attempts to break a world record; this year, a successful attempt was made for the “World’s Largest Coloring Book.”

Beating China’s previous record of 182 square feet and 53 square inches, Mighty Texas’ colossal coloring book measured in at 195 square feet. Guests used over 500 markers to color in pages measuring 15 by 13 feet.

The Mighty Texas Dog Walk has won ten previous World Records including “Most Dogs Walked,” “Biggest Cake for Dogs” and “Biggest Fur Ball.”

Since its founding in Dripping Springs in 1988, Service Dogs has built “better lives for Texans overcoming challenges through partnerships with custom trained assistance dogs provided free of charge,” according to its website. Dogs are adopted from shelters across the state, chosen for their temperament, age and health, and trained to become service animals — a process which takes around $50,000. As a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, Service Dogs relies on donations to continue providing its free service animals.

Its dogs are also used to help those that struggle with mental health, both in the long- and short-term.

To learn more, visit mightytexasdogwalk.org or servicedogs.org.