Pet Talk

by Cathy Davis
    An event you don’t want to miss, with a change of location and lots of fun new features, this year’s Rockin’ The Doghouse will be Sunday, Sept. 9, at Hogan Tire on Bangor Street. If you have seen the signs about the Hogan Tire car show event on Sept. 8, this second day is an extension of that fun time with a car show, ball drop, swap meet, petting zoo, ladder truck, piñatas, kids games, plenty of food, door prizes and music DJ’d by our own Jon Miller.
    I know that after church on Sunday you might have a routine of going out for breakfast or lunch but on Sept. 9, why not go down to Hogan Tire and get a hot dog and some Houlton Farms Dairy lemonade, see some beautiful antique and classic cars, have your kids play some fun games, and enjoy some community time with your friends.
    There is no admission fee for this event. The funds will be raised by the gate fee for the car show and the food sales. So your kids can get into the scrambles and win prizes and there is no cost to have a ton of fun.
    We want to thank Jody and all of the Hogan Tire staff for allowing us the use of their facility.  This actually saves a ton of money because we won’t have to rent a port-a-potty, worry about power or water, and everything is right in town but off the road and safe.
    There will be cars coming from everywhere, many you have never seen before, street rods, classics, lovingly restored antiques, and more.
    There will also be raffle tickets on sale at this event. There are tickets available for a ton of woodstove pellets and tickets for a beautiful home made quilt. Tickets are $1 each or 6 for $5. Drawing will be in October following our Chuck Loucka piano concert at the Performing Arts Center.
    It’s been a tough summer for the shelter, we have had many animals brought in from the state that were seized because of neglect or mistreatment, we have had large numbers of cats brought in, we have had people abandon animals at the door with serious health issues. All of this is heartbreaking and our staff has really struggled with trying to understand how people can treat animals so badly. Our hearts go out to our employees and our volunteers who work with these animals every day.
    It’s also been a struggle financially, as all of these cases cost the shelter much more money than we take in. Just vetting the one case was over $1,000 and there have been numerous instances where our shelter residents have had to have several visits from our vet.
    There are many ways that you can help the shelter. You can attend our fundraisers, have a great time, buy a hot dog and a drink. You can come to our October concert and hear some of the most impressive piano playing in the country. You can save up your bathroom containers – they don’t have to be number two containers, any plastic container is acceptable – such as shampoo, body wash, hand soap, make up, etc, and drop those off at the shelter or at Wal-Mart in the electronics department. You can save up and drop off used ink cartridges or cell phones.
    You can join our various walks or come to our yard sales. You can purchase a paw at the many participating retail stores. You can drop a check in the mail to P.O. Box 548, Houlton 04730. You can donate via pay-pal (there is a link on the shelter website). 
    There are not a lot of financial resources for animal shelters. Yes, our shelter is supported in part by town contracts, but if a town is paying you $1,200 a year to take in its strays and in just one case alone they bring in 25 animals, you know that the contracts aren’t covering the costs.
    So if you have an interest in cars, music, good times, good company, good food, stop by Hogan tire Sunday, Sept. 9, right around noon would be the perfect time, but a little later and we’ll still be there, and while you’re there having fun, if you see animal shelter employees and volunteers, thank them for their service. They are hard working, dedicated, loyal, and they are very special people and we love them all for the excellent care they give to animals in need.