Ride For The Wet Nose Will Benefit Animal Shelters[VIDEO]

Brewer High School student Matt Gross will, once again, make a roundtrip to Passadumkeag on his bicycle, to raise money for homeless pets.

I was surprised when I heard the ride was coming up this week because, the last time I talked to Matt's Dad, he said they weren't doing it this year. Matt first came up with the idea for the ride when he was 9 years old and his family had adopted a dog named Buddy. The older dog had been abused during his life and ended up in a shelter before they made him a member of their family. Little Matt didn't want other dogs to have to go through what Buddy did, and so he came up with a bicycle ride to earn money for local shelters, so they could take care of their animals.

Fast-forward 8 years, and Matt's in high school, with classes, a part-time job, and extracurricular activities. He's so busy that he said he wasn't going to ride this year. But his supporters had other ideas, encouraging him to continue his good work. Matt was so impressed with their enthusiasm that he agreed to ride once again. On Friday, Matt will hop on his bicycle and ride from Brewer to Passadumkeag and then back to Brewer, for a total of 65 miles. It makes me tired just to think of it but, as you can see in the video from last year, he and his Dad are all smiles at the end.

Big kudos, by the way, to Matt's Dad, Jason, who's made the ride with him every year. It's one thing to ride 65 miles when you're a teenager, but quite another when you're the father of a teenager. It's not too late to show your appreciation and support of their efforts, by making a donation to the cause. You can do that through the Ride for the Wet Nose Facebook page. All the money raised will be split between the Bangor Humane Society and the Old Town Animal Orphanage.