Last Saturday I helped out with a birthday party for all of the shelter animals (residents and adoptables) at the Humane Society of Ocean City. We don't know any of their real birthdays, so it seemed appropriate to celebrate everyone's right at the beginning of the new year. This was an inaugural event and thought up pretty much all by Nancy.
I made cupcakes (107 of them), made pawprints to hang on the wall with all of the animals' names, made a bunch of dog treats and helped with arranging and decorating the room. The public was invited and it really turned into a smashing success. There were guests of all ages, and most everyone brought presents for the animals (which we hoped would happen, but hadn't asked - we wanted it to stay a free event).
Although, to give credit where credit is due, it wouldn't have been nearly as successful without the efforts of Elwood, the 2007 World's Ugliest Dog winner and teeny ambassador for homeless animals.
Elwood's owner, Karen Quigley, brings the pampered pooch around to schools and events to promote pet adoption (Elwood was set to be put down because of his looks before he was rescued), promote spay and neutering your pets and to be kind to all animals. He's a funny looking thing, for certain, but when you meet him he's just so adorable. (That might be hard to believe... but trust me on this one.) Everyone loved him, and for $4 tons of people were getting their photos taken with Elwood. Karen then donated the money to the HSOC.
This was a lot of fun, plus a great promotion for the shelter. Plenty of people who stopped by the party visited the shelter residents before they left. (For obvious reasons, the shelter residents couldn't attend the party, but don't worry - they'll reap the benefits with all those donated treats and toys!)
The best part? Three cats found new homes the day of the party.
That made it all worth it. One hundred percent.
No comments:
Post a Comment