Pet Talk

by Cathy Davis
    Saturday was a perfect day. I don’t know any other way to describe it. Blue skies, mild wind, comfortable temperatures, a huge crew of volunteers, a ton of families and so much fun all day long! It was the third annual Rockin’ the Doghouse event in Monument Park, organized by Jon and Heather Miller, and it was a hit, no other way to put it.
    I wanted to try to find a way to list all the volunteers, all the sponsors, all the donors, all the prize winners, in this week’s Pet Talk but we are still putting that list together. I will tell you that Joe Inman won the bike. Many thanks to all who purchased tickets and to Gemma Bartley for donating this item. A Mrs. Williams from Bangor won the 55” flat screen TV and again, we have to thank you all for purchasing tickets for this item and for Jon and Cara Maples for helping secure the TV for the raffle.
    Next week I’ll tell you the rest of the “who”, but if you just can’t wait, then “like” Houlton Humane Society on Facebook because there will be photos posted, lists of volunteers, donors, etc., and already the comments are coming in from event attendees who had a great time, but today, I just want to tell you the “what” of the weekend.
    This event takes months of planning, between coordinating with other groups to make sure we don’t interfere with other events, getting the permits, making the booths, scheduling the music, promoting the car show, purchasing and distributing posters and flyers and buying advertisement, we usually start working on this in March. Every year we learn from the year before – like what games are favorites and what games “not so much”. Every year the event gets a little bigger and a little better and this year was the best yet.
    From 7 a.m. Saturday morning there was a crew of volunteers doing everything from setting up booths, sound systems, food tables, tents, and games. There was an entire table of adult and kid prizes and those had to be organized, there was a food table that had to be organized, there were raffles, and cold drinks to go on ice and pizza to be ordered and cheese to melt for the nachos. 
    We had a piñata that had to be tied to a tree and a bale of hay to hide cash in (didn’t the kids just love the hay scramble!).
    There was live music all day long and the bands were not only a pleasure to listen to, but they truly enjoyed themselves. The TV cameras showed up, and of course the cars, tons and tons of cars lining Broadway, with some very unique prizes for the best in show.
    Many people brought their dogs to the park and they had as much fun as the kids! We had people coming in not just from Houlton but also many Canadian friends joined us!
    I know I said I’d wait until next week to thank each individual who volunteered or sponsored or donated but I have to tell you that for me, the most exciting event of the day was the ball drop – we so appreciate the Houlton Fire Department for bringing the ladder truck to the park, finding a place to park where they could extend the outriggers to steady the machine, and then to extend that ladder to full length. I have to tell you, when I saw firefighter Beals climbing that ladder in that wind all I could think of is it’s a good thing I’m not a fire fighter because there is no way you would get me on that ladder. The kids loved this event and won a lot of prizes. It was so much fun to hear the kids start to chant “drop the balls, drop the balls” and it was a thrill to have the Fire Department participate.
    The bottom line is that each and every person came out for a fun day to help support the Houlton Humane Society efforts to care for and protect as many animals as we can. We are extremely blessed to have a shelter director who puts her heart and soul into every animal. For weeks now every time I go to the shelter she is bottle-feeding abandoned baby kittens, and between her and Marsha they have managed to save all but one. You have no idea how impressive this is. These babies lost their mother at birth, they had to be bottle fed every hour on the hour, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, for weeks, their little bellies rubbed to stimulate the licking that the mother does to help digestion. I got an excited call at work one day with Heather squealing in delight because the kittens had started going to the bathroom on their own. Our staff and our volunteers put themselves out for the animals every single day, going on rescue missions at midnight, fostering and cooking and marching and organizing and volunteering and putting their own time and money into these animals to assure they are safe, healthy, well cared for and placed in good loving homes.
    Fund-raising events like Rockin’ the Doghouse pays for veterinary bills, the cost of vaccines, food, flea treatment, bleach and laundry detergent, fuel oil and much more. Without you, this work can’t continue, so even though there are 100 people to thank for this successful event, ultimately, if you don’t show up, none of the hard work matters. So thank you for your attendance, your donations, your kind words, and your thoughtful support. You make it possible for us to continue!
    Cathy Davis is a longtime volunteer for the Houlton Humane Society. She can be reached at houltonanimalshelter@gmail.com or 532-2345.