by Cathy Davis
All year long people keep asking me about their two favorite animal shelter events and I am so excited to tell you they are right around the corner.
The biggest, best, and most fun time will be Saturday, Sept. 14, from 11 to 2 right at the animal shelter – Rockin’ the Doghouse! We are having a huge car show, a DJ, a barbecue with hot dogs, hamburgers, chips, soda, cotton candy, popcorn, a bake sale, a farmers market, a petting zoo, and adoption deals on cats, kittens and rabbits. There will be puppies up for adoption, there will be kids games, and at 12:30 a pie and cake auction, hosted by none other than the famous Jon Miller!
There will be photos by Christopher Mills Photography; we still have the photos of our grandchildren from last year, getting their pony rides! They had a blast!
There are a number of things you can do to make this a huge success – if you would care to donate baked goods, we can use cookies, breads, cakes, and pies. You can either deliver these to the Shelter Friday afternoon Sept. 13 or Saturday morning Sept. 14 by 11 a.m.
Perhaps you have a gift or a talent and would like to volunteer your services – for instance, maybe you love to paint faces, I’m sure we’d have room for a face painter, or maybe you are a clown, you know, not the kind of person who jokes around in the office, but a real clown, really big nose, big feet, orange hair kind of clown. We’d love to have you join us, and the kids would love it.
Perhaps you are an expert at making piñatas, would you like to donate one? Or do you knit socks? We can sell your socks to help raise money for the animals. Can you sew? How about making some dog beds for us to sell.
Most important is that you come and join us, this is always so much fun. Last year we had a huge crowd. We ran out of food mid afternoon and still people kept coming. There were cars lined up all the way down the Callaghan Road. All our puppies were adopted, the kids loved the pony rides – it’s just really the most fun you can have no matter what your age.
The next favorite event of the year is our annual yard sale. That will be held Saturday, Sept. 7, weather permitting, in the parking lot of the Varney Agency – this is the office right across from Tim Horton’s and there is plenty of room to set up, park, shop, and visit. If you would like to donate for the yard sale you may drop your items off at the Varney office the week of the sale but please, as much as we appreciate your donations, we cannot take clothing or electronics. I hate to turn away well-intended donations but electronics don’t sell and it costs us money to dispose of them, which totally defeats the purpose of the yard sale.
Everybody loves these sales as you get to name your own price. We just ask that you be reasonable. Don’t show up as first in line, take all the “good stuff” and then donate a dollar. Keep in mind that we are trying to raise money to help the shelter get through the winter months when funds are tight and bills are high. We have fuel oil bills in our near future, a budget killer, and this event will help fund that need and others.
Stay tuned next week, I have so many stories to tell you about some of our shelter pets. Our lovely adoption counselor, Luanne Tucker, has gifted me with a ream of handwritten heart felt stories about various critters who have come into the shelter’s care and the happy endings as they moved from abandoned and homeless to loved and cared for. I can’t wait to share these stories with you.
In the meantime, please take down your calendar and mark Sept. 7 to visit our yard sale, from 8 a.m. to noon, and Sept. 14 for Rockin’ the Doghouse, 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. and if you have a desire to be a part of either event, please call Heather at the shelter, 532-2862 and let her know what you can bring or what skill you would like to utilize.
And remember, “Adopt, don’t shop” shelter pets make the very best companions and there are hundreds of thousands across the country who are living in cages just waiting for the right family to come along and love them. Won’t you be one of those families? Please?
