HOULTON, Maine — Aroostook County bachelors are sending in photos and hoping to be one of the 12 single men selected for the Houlton Humane Society’s 2024 Dudes and Adoptables Calendar.
“It takes a guy brave enough to put himself out there,” said Johanna Johnston, the calendar’s creator. “But it really brings a guy up when you see him loving an animal.”
The bachelors must be at least 18 and love animals to be part of this fundraiser for the local animal shelter. Twelve will be selected, one for each month, and they will be photographed holding one of the shelter’s adoptable animals, Johnston said.
Johnston said several women wanted to nominate their hunky husbands, so maybe next year she will explore a married man’s or a single woman’s calendar, she said.
So far, six men, ranging in age from 21 to 61, including a cashier, a veteran and radio personality, have sent in their applications and another was nominated by someone else.
Abandoned and abused animals are loved and nursed to health at the shelter and Johnston, who is also the executive director for the Southern Aroostook Development Corporation, wanted to help her friend, shelter director Cj Virgie and all the animals. .
“She really has her hands full and this is a fun way to help,” she said.
Johnston got the idea for the calendar after purchasing an Asher House calendar last year
Asher House is an Oregon-based nonprofit animal sanctuary founded by Lee Asher who quit his job to open Asher House four years ago. Asher has traveled to 49 states to promote animal adoption and show people the beauty and joy of shelter animals.
Once the 12 calendar dudes are selected, local photographer Regan McKinley of Lavender Lenses Photography will volunteer her time for the calendar photoshoot.
Johnson is hoping to do at least some of the shots outside to show The County’s beauty, but the location will be inspired by the guys.
Meeting the costs of running the shelter is increasingly challenging, especially with minimum wage going up to $15 an hour, and rising utility and medical costs, shelter manager Virgie said.
And while the shelter on Callahan Road often receives grants for community spay and neuter clinics, the shelter always needs more financial assistance to operate, pay monthly expenses and staff, feed the animals and pay for medical bills. They are hoping the calendar will help support their needs, Virgie said.
“Our vet bills are staggering,” she said.
The shelter is always full. They have room for six dogs and another intake area for strays and abandoned dogs. The cats are sectioned off into different areas, depending on whether they are sick. The Houlton shelter can currently house 20 cats.
When the shelter staff cannot locate an abandoned dog or cat’s owner, they start preparing them for their forever new homes. One of several veterinarians who work with the shelter will examine the animal, give them their vaccines, test cats for FIV or FELV, and spay or neuter the animal, Virgie said.
Many people living in The County survive on limited incomes, and if there is an emergency, it is often difficult to stretch funds to cover animal food. The shelter has a food pantry to help people feed their animals, she said.
On Oct. 10, 11 and 12, the shelter is holding a community spay-and-neuter clinic for dogs and cats at the Hodgdon Fire Co. Anyone interested must call the shelter to make an appointment.
There are three traveling veterinarians — Elizabeth Sperry, Portland; Stephanie Heikkinen, Jay; and Elizabeth Stone, Topsham — who help with the clinics. They generally can perform 40 surgeries each, depending on the weight and size of the animals. Sperry will be handling the Hodgdon clinic.
Johnston plans to have the calendars available for a $20 purchase on Amazon for holiday gift-giving. All proceeds will go to the shelter.
The deadline for single men to be nominated or apply for a spot on the calendar is Oct. 15.
The last question on the application inquires about the man’s willingness to be part of a winter Dudes and Dinner auction for a Valentine’s Day date, she said.
