BONNYVILLE – The Bonnyville and District Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA) held its annual Raise the Woof fundraiser with a stand-up comedy show on Sept. 28 at the Bonnyville Senior Citizens Drop-in Centre.
Most of the proceeds will go toward costs associated with the daily operation of the non-profit animal shelter.
“It was a total success and a huge thank-you to our community,” said Patti McCreary, SPCA board member. She said while there are not yet any concrete numbers for the amount raised from the fundraiser, it is estimated to have generated “thousands of dollars toward our SPCA.”
What the funding will go toward will include medical costs for animals, pet food, staffing, and utilities, according to McCreary. “So, that will be a nice influx of cash for our daily operations.”
McCreary said the SPCA now has 33 cats and 10 dogs available for adoption, and they are at full capacity. The animal shelter is not accepting animals for surrender, and McCreary says, “we’re trying to prepare for winter right now.”
“Winter is also a really bad time for us with strays and animals freezing,” she said. “We have animals that we know that are freezing out there – they’re strays, and they have no cover.”
Sharon Ducharme, fundraiser coordinator and SPCA board member, said she believes other animal shelters might also be at full capacity for their intake of animals. According to Ducharme, animal shelters always see a high number of animals at this time of year, “because of kittens being born throughout the spring and summer.”
According to McCreary, among the solutions to reduce the number of animals being taken into care at animal shelters is to have spay and neuter programs.
While the number of adoptions remains about the same as compared to previous years, the SPCA is not seeing a lot of adoptions in the summer because people are either busy or on vacation.
The SPCA board of directors thanked the staff and volunteers for their hard work and support during the recent fundraiser. McCreary and Ducharme further stated the fundraiser wouldn’t have been possible without the support of the community and the Town of Bonnyville.
