Pet Talk

by Cathy Davis
    What an awesome weekend! All week long, all we heard was “rain, rain, rain” for Saturday, but Saturday dawned in magnificent fashion, perfect temperature, just the right amount of sun and clouds, light breeze – just a spectacular day to hold our 10th annual dog walk-a-thon to raise money for all the animals that are in our care at the animal shelter.
    Many thanks go out to Melanie Greaves for hosting this event once again. She volunteered to do this for us once, 10 years ago, after adopting her dog Nicholas from the Shelter. And every single year she has come back to do it again. We are so grateful for her friendship and support.
    This year we had a new treat for walkers and non-walkers alike. Karen and Roger Folsom, owners of Karen’s K-9, brought their mobile grooming van and did free nail clips for the dogs, and also for a gentleman who brought his cat! Thank you so much for participating; we really appreciate all you do to help the shelter! And my Scruffy certainly appreciates the pedicure!
    We advertised registration to begin at 11:30 a.m., but when we arrived in front of the library to set up our registration tables, there were already walkers ready and eager to begin. We had such a variety of dogs, itty-bitty tiny dogs to great big huge powerful dogs, and I have to say I’ve never seen such a well-behaved group! The surprise of the day was the entry of a cat in the dog walk-a-thon. Complete with harness, we were all convinced the cat was a dog in costume because this cat had no fear of the dogs and the dogs didn’t seem to even know there was a cat in their presence!
    We got a little bit of an early start, walking down Military Street to Court, then over to the Gateway Bridge, down the walking path, up the stairs to Highland Avenue, and back. The walkers were so enjoying the day and the scenery that the parade stretched out for quite a distance. Slowing down to enjoy the river, even a few brave souls who waded a bit, it was a day full of fun, laughter, and friendship – the kind of day you wish you could repeat over and over again.
    When we returned to the park, there was pizza and drinks and cookies for the walkers and everybody just spilled out on the lawn and relaxed with their lunch and still, the dogs were just as well behaved as you could imagine.
    Photos followed, with a group photos of all the dogs who have walked in more than one event, and then an entire group photo, which we will be posting on Facebook shortly, followed by prizes and treats.
    The grand prize winner for bringing in the most paid pledges was Kelly McKay Agnew, winning two full sets of fair tickets (including rides) – a prize value of $60. Many thanks to the Fair Committee for donating this prize! 
    The event could not happen without the walkers and their pets. And of course the many volunteers who bake and donate prizes and man the tables. All of the proceeds of the walk go directly to animal care and welfare. Whether it’s paying a veterinary bill or keeping the building warm by covering the cost of oil, it’s the animals who benefit.
    I am so proud of our shelter because our director has been networking with many other shelters in the state. When we have the space, we help them out, and they are eager to work with us because they know these dogs will find new homes fast. And if we have a situation where maybe a dog needs special training or a more knowledgeable handler, we’ll work with rescues and other shelters to move them into a better environment for them. It’s all about the animals. For instance, let’s say we get in a beagle with some issues. If we don’t have anybody who can work with that beagle, we have a beagle rescue that will assist. 
    We’re also helping various rescue groups with the recent Tornado events. Many animals were displaced as a result of these tragedies and two of those dogs are coming into our Shelter in the near future so we can help place them. It might not sound like much but if every shelter across the country helps out, these animals will find new homes quickly. The shelters down south were either destroyed or just can’t handle the numbers, and we are glad to help.
    Last month we adopted out over 30 animals. We are hoping for the same this month, and while these animals wait for their new homes, we appreciate your support at walk-a-thons, your donations of canned and dry dog food, your donations of bleach and laundry detergent and paper towels. And we hope to see you at our next fund raiser which is this Saturday, May 14, when the local Scentsy consultant has volunteered to host an open house at the Shelter from 1 to 4 p.m. Come check out the products, visit the critters, take a look at the memory garden, visit with staff, just come out and relax and if you do decide to purchase, all of the proceeds from the Scentsy sale go to the animal shelter! Many thanks to Jaimie Roberts for offering to do this for us! Hope to see you there!