The 2015 version of the Estevan Humane Society’s Dr. Neal Howard Memorial Dog Jog was a successful romp around and behind the Estevan Shoppers Mall on Sunday afternoon.
Walkers and their pet pooches were greeted with warm sunshine and light breezes, ideal conditions for a stroll and a little fundraising.
Humane Society president Terry Williams said this year’s event brought in a total of $1,771.25 which was a bit lower than 2014’s effort, but not a major slip in support at all.
“I believe there was $1,140 in actual pledges and the rest was raised through the raffles and the sale of hot dogs and burgers,” she said.
Business sponsors supplied prizes for the top fundraisers and Kiera Barker picked up a new iPad for being the top youth fundraiser while the Potoma family captured the Calaway Park trip as the top fundraising family. Gail Ireland won the KSM detailing gift certificate as the top adult money raiser. Grass Roots Health and Wellness and Cat-Tek Cathodic Services was singled out as the top sponsor for this year’s event.
“We started a 50/50 draw on Sunday too with sales ongoing until Oct. 22, when we’ll make the draw during our Halloween costume parade at the mall. We’ll keep the public informed about the growth of the prize pot on our website and through our advertisements,” said Williams.
The needs of the society’s shelter continue to grow, she added.
“We just received four new born puppies the other day, so they will be high maintenance for awhile and that means additional staff time because they’re too young to send out to foster homes,” said Williams.
There are also a few additional kittens to tend to.
The flash flood that hit the city a couple of weeks ago didn’t help the shelter either since they were already being challenged with a poor drainage system. The heavy rains that pelted the region also exposed some weaknesses in the shelter’s roofing that needed to be repaired.
“We need drainage on the east and south side of the shelter, so those problems continue. We’re discussing that with city officials. We would rather have our staff time spent with the animals and building maintenance, not on all these additional problems and, of course, we have ongoing veterinarian bills to pay, so this dog jog will help cover some expenses,” said Williams.
