It is time for the Cumberland Valley Animal Shelter’s Easter Hound Hunt.
Oh how much I love this event.
It will be held behind the shelter on March 29 this year.
Here’s what happens. We fill TONS of plastic Easter eggs with dog treats and spread them around the grounds behind the shelter. When we holler “go,” the dogs – on LEASHES – take off, looking for Easter eggs.
I think we actually have thousands of eggs, so, yeah. There will be a LOT of eggs to find.
This is a rain or shine event, so we’re going to hunt for those eggs, no matter what comes out of the sky. But I really hope it’s nice weather because when it is, we have so much fun with the dogs.
Registration starts at 1 p.m. and the hunt begins at 2. You can register online ahead of time or at the event.
We have it behind the shelter near the dog park parking lot.
We’ll have two separate areas behind the shelter to find the eggs – one for small dogs and one for big dogs. We just don’t think it’s terribly fair to ask a Shih Tzu to compete with a German Shepherd to find Easter eggs. The human parents decide whether or not their dog is considered “large” or “small.”
Also, as tempting as it may be, we’re asking that the pups be the ones to find the eggs, not the children. Kids are welcome to lead the dogs to the eggs, but the dog needs to nose the egg before a human can grab it.
The bottom line is there are a lot of Easter egg hunts for children in our area. This one is specifically for the pooches, so we’d like to keep it that way. I know families love to attend and we love to have them – we just ask that the kids participate by letting the dogs find the eggs.
We also ask the dogs be on the leash at all times. It’s just safer that way.
We have prizes. Oh, yes we do. If your pup sniffs out an egg with a special ticket on the inside, you will be able to choose a prize for your pup. Because only certain eggs are marked, it’s not really about how many eggs you get, but whether you found THE egg. Even if you only find one egg, it could be the one with the ticket inside and you’ll win!
The best part is the tickets are INSIDE, so in order to determine if you have a winning egg, you have to open every one you pick up. This is certainly good news for the canines participating because they get the yummy treats inside!
One of the funniest things following the hunt is listening to all the crunching as families sit down and pop open all the eggs. Hilarious!
Participants are asked to give at least a $5 donation to the shelter to take part in the hunt – that way we can raise a little money for the babies in our kennels, too. You can pre-register online at cvas-pets.org to cut down on the wait the day-of.
Following the hunt, we’re going to have an Easter bonnet contest. This is always so incredibly adorable, I defy you not to smile! The pups will wear the bonnets and we’ll have prizes for the winners for the bonnet contest, too.
You can also have your pet’s Easter photos taken with the Easter Bunny for a donation to the shelter. Get the whole family in there and have a great memory with your four-legged baby.
We have so much fun with this every year and everyone has a great time, so mark your calendars and make sure you join us for our Easter Hound Hunt at 2 p.m. on March 29, at the shelter.
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Jennifer Vanderau is the Public Relations Coordinator for the Cumberland Valley Animal Shelter and can be reached at [email protected]. The shelter accepts both monetary and pet supply donations. For more information, call the shelter at 263-5791 or visit the website www.cvas-pets.org. CVAS also operates a thrift store in Chambersburg. Help support the animals at the shelter by donating to or shopping at the store.
