Pet Talk

by Cathy Davis
    What a fun and exciting weekend. The weather dawned clear and bright, temperature was perfect, and people were lining up for their free t-shirts as soon as we set up. Hungry supporters patiently waited for the hot dogs to cook, and volunteers set up tents, hoses, games and raffle tables for our first “Dog Days” event.
    Many thanks to Kelly McKay Agnew for offering to organize this event. A special thank you to the following for all your help (and I sincerely apologize if I have forgotten anyone). Glen Miller at the Houlton Fire Department for bringing out the “big truck” for the kids, young and old, to see up close and personal. This is a very impressive piece of equipment and when the ladder is extended it gives you a nose bleed just thinking about how high it goes! It was great of Glen to spend the afternoon with us.
    Thank you to WHOU/WBCQ for the live remote. We had many people stop by because they heard the event on the radio and we really enjoyed the live music and the interviews. Tim Horton’s saw all the excitement across the street and offered us free coffee for our volunteers and “customers,” which was enjoyed by everyone.
    Ellis Family IGA provided hot dogs, hamburgers and buns, Walmart, Shop-n-Save, Re-Imagined, Hogan Tire, and many others chipped in with items that we needed for the day. Thank you to the many sponsors who helped provide the live remote, and to the many volunteers who came to set up, work, and clean up. We had a lot of baked goods that were sold – if you were one of the people who brought brownies, cookies, beans, etc., thank you so much for your help.
    Kelly and Heather washed dogs all day— they decided it was easier to get right in the pool with the dogs instead of trying to bend over and scrub-a-dub dub, so they were having a blast, soaking wet, trying to hang onto some pretty big critters who were all soapy and slippery. I think they had more fun than anybody and we put them right out by the road so people driving by would know we were having a dog wash. Many thanks to the folks in the U.S. Cellular building for allowing us to tap their water.
    Underhound Railroad rescue joined us with many of their fine adoptable dogs. It is a pleasure working with them and networking to help place animals. These dogs came up from areas of devastation, tornado and flood zones, where they were displaced from their homes and unable to be reunited with their owners. Transportation costs, testing, etc., drives up the expenses for this rescue so they have to charge more for these dogs than a normal shelter and they do a fabulous job in placing these pets in new homes.
    We adopted out two of our Shelter dogs during this event, and one more may be going home this week as a result of the Dog Days adopt-a-thon. This entire event was always intended to be just that, an opportunity to place animals, so on every level this was a total success.
    Thanks again to everybody. We are so fortunate to have so many wonderful volunteers to give up a beautiful Saturday afternoon when they could have been anywhere else doing anything else. It’s the animals that benefit from your generosity.
    Our next event is this coming Saturday, June 18, right at the animal shelter. There will be a yard sale starting at 10 a.m., probably lasting till noon unless we’re really busy and then we might keep it open a little longer. This event is “weather permitting,” so if it’s pouring and thundering we’ll postpone but as long as it’s half decent, we’ll be there. We have a lot of really nice items and our sales are always a good place to get a real bargain because you set the price!
    Also keep in mind that we are selling raffle tickets for several items. We have a 55” flat screen TV that we are raffling, a beautiful $600 mountain bike donated by Gemma Bartley, and a limited edition painting by Esther Orr Faulkner. Tickets are available at the shelter and will also be sold during Midnight Madness, the craft fair in the park, our various yard sales and at “Rockin the Doghouse.” Winning tickets will be drawn on Sept. 10. Just think of that great big flat screen TV in your living room this fall to watch the World Series, the Superbowl, etc! This is a $1,500 TV and your chances of winning are very good. 
    Thanks again to everybody for a successful weekend and for your financial support. We are just like the listener supported public radio programs who are always saying that without your support we could not be on the air. Well, without your support we could not work to save and re-home these animals. And your support is always greatly appreciated.