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Hardworking, loyal, and handsome – all words used to describe Boomer Bowers, an 8-year-old Labrador Retriever who last week was chosen to represent his fellow Livermore canine residents in a new city-wide program honoring pets in the community.
The Livermore Area Recreation and Park District and Valley Humane Society honored Boomer as Livermore’s inaugural 2024 Ambassadog. For his achievement, Boomer received a certificate, Livermore Ambassadog leash and official LARPD proclamation.
LARPD said the Ambassadog honor represents the city of Livermore fostering a dog-friendly community.
“He’s a super fun dog full of love and energy,” said Melanie Sadek, Valley Humane Society president. “When he walked into the room for his ceremony he was so excited that he was almost grunting, everyone was laughing. If someone touched him, he would squeal in excitement.”
Boomer is an English Cream Labrador Retriever, born in April of 2015. Since being adopted at just eight weeks old, Boomer has become an indispensable member of his family and the greater community.
“He’s really the representative of all the canine residents in the community and is going to raise more awareness about how important it is that we have a livable community that includes our pets,” Sadek told the Weekly.
LARPD added that Boomer maintains a strong work ethic, collecting the newspaper for his family each day. Additionally, he often puts away his own stuffed toys in the house and attends various community events as a therapeutic and emotional support agent.
“A really good community is thinking about their canine residents, which is why having an ambassador dog is an important thing. It really highlights the fact that dogs are part of our community,” added Sadek.
The soon to be 9-year-old dog has participated in LARPD’s “Dogtober Fest,” Guinness Book of World Record contests, and the annual Race to the Flagpole (sponsored by the Livermore Granada Boosters).
He has volunteered at many Livermore school district events, including reading with special needs students, grief comforting and community vaccination clinics during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Boomer, who is almost 60 years old in dog years, experiences mobility issues due to osteoarthritis. Nevertheless, he perseveres and continues to contribute to his community through any means he can.
“We’ve been partnering with the city of Pleasanton for several years now. Every year at our annual event, the Livermore residents cannot figure out why there isn’t a Livermore Ambassadog,” said Sadek of the inaugural Livermore Ambassadog program.
Boomer’s parent, Kelly Bowers, is also a prominent Tri-Valley community member. Bowers, former LVJUSD superintendent, serves as CEO and president of Three Valleys Community Foundation.
“Boomer did a lot of work in the Livermore school district because of Kelly’s involvement. He was kind of a regular,” said Sadek.
Boomer and his family have been longtime supporters of the Valley Humane Society through direct contributions and donations of handmade dog beds from recycled wine barrels.
“Valley Humane Society serves the Tri-Valley area. But a majority of the work that we do out in the community is done in Pleasanton and Livermore,” Sadek said. “We have an animal program where we partner with other organizations to ensure that people that are dealing with food insecurity can still feed their animals. Last year, we distributed over 200,000 Animal meals and two of our distributions each month are in Livermore.”
“We are very much actively engaged in the community and our whole organization focuses on the human animal bond and really recognizing that our pets play a huge role in our health, our mental health and our stability,” added Sadek.
