Rockin’ the Doghouse returns Sunday

By Joseph Cyr
Staff Writer
    HOULTON — For those who think summer is over, don’t put away your party shoes yet. The Houlton Humane Society will host its fourth annual “Rockin’ The Doghouse” event on a new day and new location.
    This year’s fund-raising event will be held Sunday, Sept. 9 from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. at Hogan Tire on Bangor Street. The first three events were held at Monument Park in downtown Houlton.
    “We want to thank Jody (Anderson) and all of the Hogan Tire staff for allowing us the use of their facility,” said Cathy Davis, volunteer for the shelter. “This actually saves a ton of money because we won’t have to rent a port-a-potty, worry about power or water, and everything is right in town, but off the road and safe.”
    Rockin’ the Doghouse is one of the larger fundraisers for the Houlton Humane Society. There is no admission fee, but there will be plenty of items available to purchase. Unlike previous years, there will not be live music at the event.
    Sunday’s activities include a ball drop at noon, a swap meet, petting zoo, ladder truck, piñatas, kids games, plenty of food, door prizes and music provided by Jon Miller. There will also be raffle tickets on sale at this event. There are tickets available for a ton of woodstove pellets and tickets for a home made quilt. Tickets are $1 each or 6 for $5. The drawing will be in October following the Shelter’s piano concert featuring Chuck Loucka at the Houlton Community Center.
    “It’s been a tough summer for the shelter,” Davis said. “We have had many animals brought in from the state that were seized because of neglect or mistreatment, we have had large numbers of cats brought in, we have had people abandon animals at the door with serious health issues. All of this is heartbreaking and our staff has really struggled with trying to understand how people can treat animals so badly. Our hearts go out to our employees and our volunteers who work with these animals every day.”
    “It’s also been a struggle financially, as all of these cases cost the shelter much more money than we take in,” she continued. “Just vetting the one case was over $1,000 and there have been numerous instances where our shelter residents have had to have several visits from our vet.”
    Heather Miller, executive director for the shelter, said this year’s “Rockin’ the Doghouse” will be a bit smaller than previous years due to the fact that many of her regular volunteers are not able to attend.
    The petting zoo is a new feature and will include goats from Took A Leap Farm; miniature horses from Cheryl Lovely; rabbits from Hoppity Haven Rabbit Rescue; ducks and chickens; and of course adoptable dogs.
    “We won’t have any cats at the show for adoption because it is just too stressful for them,” Heather Miller said. “We will have a number of adoptable dogs on hand though. And people are always encouraged to bring their dogs to our events.”
    All proceeds benefit the Houlton Humane Society animal shelter.