Pet Talk

by Cathy Davis
www.houltonanimalshelter.com
    It warms my heart, every single day. Another adoption; another homeless animal becomes a lifelong companion, bringing unconditional love to a new family. I see the faces of the children as they pick out their new kitten, I read the letters from the adopters who write to us and thank us for helping them choose just the right dog or cat for their household.  I see the photos that are sent in, cats lounging on sofas, dogs with their heads nestled in their master’s laps. It’s the successes that keep us going.
    It’s a struggle. Every single day is a struggle. Just trying to find enough money to pay the bills has my blood pressure up so high I’m likely to have a stroke. But, every single time I walk into the shelter and I hear “Fluffy just got adopted!” it’s worth all the work, all the stress, all the time.
    There are dozens upon dozens of people who work first hand in this effort, employees who work for minimum wage in terrible conditions, seven days a week. They clean cages, do vet runs, deal with customers, shovel snow, come in all hours of the day and night to administer meds when necessary and they take animals home overnight if they need special attention. Many of them have adopted not one, not two, but many shelter animals.
    There are volunteers who come in faithfully, week in and week out, no matter what, and work side by side with the staff. There are foster families, and there are all the cooks who bake for our sales and help us with our dinners. There are people who knit and sew, groups who donate blankets, families who remember us when they lose a loved one and businesses who are always there for us when we need to buy something wholesale or we’re asking for a donation for a raffle or prize.
    And then there are all the people who join us when we host a special project. The next project coming up is Saturday Oct. 24. We are having a “Spayghetti Supper” at the Littleton Museum and we will also be hosting our first ever “ticket auction.” This should be a lot of fun. When you purchase your supper ticket, you will receive six auction tickets that you can use to bid on items around the room. There will be some really nice items available and a lot of bidders. So, if you find something you really want, you may purchase additional tickets. The person who puts the most tickets in the bucket wins the item.
    So, let’s say there’s a quilt, and a lot of people want that quilt. You can see there are maybe 20 tickets in the jar and you really want that quilt but you only have six tickets. You can go buy more tickets. They are only $1 for six of them, and bid higher. We’ll have all kinds of items available — maybe a few gift certificates for pizza, maybe a few items worth $70 or more! You may be able to have dinner and win a $70 gift and only spend $6!
    Dinner is going to be spaghetti and meatballs, a salad bar, garlic bread, punch and coffee and ginger bread for dessert. Supper is $6 and includes six auction tickets. We will open the doors at 4:30 p.m. to let you peruse the auction items and place your bids. Supper will be served from 5-6 p.m. and winners will be announced at 6 p.m. So, hang around to take your prize home.
    It’s going to be a lot of fun and I guarantee the food will be great. And, every dime earned will go to help take care of homeless animals in our care until we can place them with new families. If you would like to help serve, bake gingerbread, bus tables or donate auction items, please call the shelter at 532-2862 to sign up. We hope to see you there, Saturday, Oct. 24, Littleton Agricultural Museum.