Shelter grateful for support during Balloon Festival

11 years ago

Shelter grateful for support during Balloon Festival

Gloria Towle
Board Member

    The generosity started last November when Jane and Paul Towle from Remax Central and Derik Smith, owner of the Queen of Hearts balloon, donated rides to be auctioned off during our popular Wine Tasting and Silent Auction. These very coveted rides were a popular item and helped to raise quite a sum of money for the Central Aroostook Humane Society. The high bidders were Liz and Brian Farley of Presque Isle.

FS-PetBalloonRide-clr-cx-sh-37Photo courtesy of Chris Robinson
    I spoke to Liz, who is one of our very active Board members and she replied, “On each of our balloon rides, Brian and I had a wonderful time! It was truly unlike anything else we have ever done. So many people have asked us what it felt like to ride in the hot air balloon and all we can tell them is that it was really indescribable. We can throw descriptive words out but the best way to understand it is to take a ride yourself. You are not fearful and there is no sense whatsoever that you are unsafe while you are flying high.  It is incredibly peaceful, smooth and the views of our beautiful community are absolutely amazing.”
    “Knowing that we purchased the balloon rides with the proceeds going to our animal shelter was just icing on the cake. If we are fortunate enough to get donated rides again from these gracious businesses, I am sure The Farleys will be bidding high again!” said Farley.
    We were also pleasantly surprise to receive a $200 donation from Jim and Channa Stacey of The Crow’s Nest. Jim sold 20 $10 tickets for a balloon ride and generously handed the profits over to the shelter. What a wonderful surprise! All of us at the Central Aroostook Humane Society are so very thankful and appreciative of the support of these awesome businesses. We hope that many of you were able to get out and see the amazing flights of these spectacular balloons.
    Our August sale on cats and kittens went very well and we also enjoyed a very successful Adoption Fair at Tractor Supply. We truly thank them for allowing us to take some older cats and also cats that had been at the shelter for a long time. We were able to find 11 awesome homes that day alone!
    We still have many that are in need of homes and strays that are brought in or family pets that are surrendered on a daily basis. We can’t stress enough the importance of spaying and neutering your pets, especially your cats. They can multiply at an alarming rate, and when you consider a 5-month-old kitten can have her first litter — that fact alone is so positively scary.
    For cats, the urge to spray is extremely strong in an intact cat, and the simplest solution is to get your pet neutered or spayed by 5 months of age before there’s even a problem. Neutering solves 90 percent of all marking issues, even in cats that have been doing it for a while. It can also minimize howling, the urge to roam and fighting with other males.
    Several myths from Pet Finders:
• Myth: Spaying or neutering (sterilization) will alter my pet’s personality. Fact: Any slight changes will be positive. Regardless of the age when spayed or neutered, your pet will remain a caring, loving and protective companion. Neutering will reduce the need to breed, and that has a calming effect on many animals.
• Myth: Companion animals will become fat and lazy if they are neutered. Fact: Absolutely not! Lack of exercise and overfeeding make pets fat and lazy, not neutering. Your pet will not gain weight if you provide exercise and monitor food intake. Neutering is good for your pet, since sterilized pets tend to live an average of two to three years longer than un-sterilized pets.
• Myth: Sterilization is a dangerous and painful surgery for my pet. Fact: Spaying and neutering are the most common surgeries performed on animals. With a minimal amount of home care, your pet will resume normal behavior in a couple of days.
    The Central Aroostook Humane Society is packed to the rafters with lovely cats waiting for loving homes. To try to move them from the shelter to homes, we are extending our adoption special: for any cat at the shelter the adoption fee is only $20. That is quite a deal on altered cats. Some are altered and de-clawed, and this also includes kittens. 
    Stop by the Central Aroostook Humane Society and see the many wonderful pets just waiting for a loving home of their own! We are open Tuesday through Saturday, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., closing for lunch 12 to 12:30 p.m. Please be responsible, spay and neuter your pets!