Two weeks ago we had one of the greatest events ever!
Our 25th annual Dog Walk and Contests was absolutely AMAZING! The event raised more than $13,000 for the animals in our kennels and it was the best one yet.
We had vendors and games and fun and prizes and the weather was so spectacular.
The dogs came to walk around the Shippensburg Fairgrounds and then we held contests to determine the best kisser, best trick, most obedient, best tail wager and best costume.
It was just such a great time.
Dog lovers showed up to help the animals in our kennels and boy, did they ever. We had volunteers help us set the event up and check everybody in.
Robin, our dog walk coordinator, absolutely outdid herself this year with the prizes and fun at our dog walk.
Some of the best moments were the dogs.
We had an incredibly poignant visit with a former resident who was at our shelter when we first moved to Letterkenny Road West.
We named her Emily and her adoptive dad kept that name.
Emily has been coming to our Christmas Open House for years.
I believe this was the first time she attended our dog walk. The story of Emily was certainly an interesting one.
In late 2012, early 2013, we were planning our move to Letterkenny Road West and it was a heck of an endeavor.
On Jan. 18 of 2013, a terrier/whippet mix came into the shelter on Country Road as a stray. She was a little on the chunky side for her breed, but we figured that must mean someone was looking for her. Dogs who come into us looking well-fed usually mean they have owners, so we were hopeful.
Sadly, no one came to find her. She was Emily.
In late January, we moved to the shelter on Letterkenny Road West, and Emily was one of the pups who came along for the ride. She was upset in her crate as the County Animal Response Team truck drove out the road, but we knew once she got settled everything would be fine.
Emily’s story is actually much more interesting than a simple “fine.”
The day after we moved, we arrived at our new location the next morning to check on our four-legged friends to see how they did overnight in their new digs and lo and behold when we looked in on Emily, there were five new additions having breakfast.
Yup, Emily had puppies, and technically, her babies were the very first residents of the new CVAS.
They were so incredibly cute!
And, interestingly, one of them just happened to get adopted by our dog walk coordinator, Robin.
And guess what? At our dog walk, Emily got to visit with her son, Parker James, after 13 years.
With both of them being terriers, the reunion wasn’t exactly Hallmark, but seeing them together made a lot of people happy.
I’ll tell you, animal lovers are some of the sweetest people I’ve ever met, and our dog walk certainly proved that.
I am so incredibly grateful to everyone who helped make this year’s dog walk so incredibly successful.
From Emily’s visit to the amazing food vendors to the awesome craft artists who were there to the dog owners who clearly adored their four-legged friends, it all combined for a great Saturday for CVAS.
From all the animals who were helped by the efforts of all the people that day: thank you.
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 717-263-5791 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.
