Lassie's small cousins are coming to the Squamish SPCA's aid.
On Saturday, Sept. 14, the animal shelter has a fundraiser to ease the cost of caring for its furry residents. Tails will wag as a variety of pet-friendly activities take over O'Siyam Pavilion Park in downtown Squamish including an agility course. Wherever it's tubes to run through and poles to jump over, there's Shelties, branch manager Marika Donnelly said.
They'll be Shelties everywhere, she said.
It's been a busy summer for the Squamish facility. Currently the shelter has 53 cats and three dogs under its roof. The centre saw 40 kittens come through its doors over the past two months.
This has been the busiest kitten year I've ever seen, Donnelly said.
Branch staff have also dealt with a number of animals in need of special treatment, which quickly pushes the shelter's costs up, she noted.
In 2012, 320 animals through its doors, with the branch boasting a 98 per cent adoption rate. This year Squamish SPCA staff are well on their way to receiving more animals than last year, Donnelly said.
It costs the SPCA approximately $475 per cat to cover their medical bills, food and shelter once they enter the system. Dogs' bills run at roughly $485. As with cats, that includes spaying or neutering, vaccines and placing identity microchips in the animals.
The fundraiser runs from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. The green space will be packed with a silent auction and a barbecue, Donnelly said. Shampooch Pet Mobile will also be there for one's messy pups.
We'll have dunkin' for wieners, she added and noted the dog version of bobbing for apples is always a hit.
From 11 a.m. to noon, for $15 people can register to join a walk with all the four-legged friends. Last year the event raised close to $9,000 for the branch. Donnelly is hoping to be that this time around.
We always could do with more help, she said.
For more info visit www.spca.bc.ca and look up Squamish.
