BRATTLEBORO — The Windham County Humane Society's 14th annual Walk for Animals runs Saturday, Sept. 27, starting and ending at Crowell Park on Western Avenue.
The money directly supports the humane society's efforts to help lost, homeless, and abused animals survive, thrive, and find new homes.
The goal this year is to raise $10,000, organizers said in a press release. Walkers are invited to solicit donations from friends, family, and co-workers. This year the society has set up a fundraising page at www.crowdrise.com and makes a paper donation form available at its website.
Registration is at 9 a.m. The walk goes from 10 to 11. The route is from Crowell Park down Green Street and Elliot Street, up Main Street, and back via High Street.
Well-behaved dogs are welcome to join in. The society requests no flexi-leads be used so as to avoid tangles.
Refreshments are available from 11 a.m. to noon at Crowell Park. Dogs will get treats; humans will get ice cream. Prizes will be awarded to the top fundraisers. Anyone who raises $50 or more gets a T-shirt.
According to its executive director, Annie Guion, the Humane Society is raising this money because more and more people and animals depend on its programs, both new and longstanding.
During the first half of this year, the shelter took in 444 animals, compared to last year's 385, and found homes for 420, up from last year's 359.
During this period, Guion said, the average animal spent 18 days at the shelter, which is down from last year's average of 32 days.
That reduction in stay is essential, Guion explained, because it means less stress for the animal and less need for rehabilitation.
“We do a really good job here, but it's still not a home,” she said. “The sooner we can get an animal adopted the better.”
The organization also takes in animals from “high-kill” shelters, mostly in southern states, where unwanted animals abound.
To date, 114 such animals were taken in, over last year's 82. “That means we're saving the lives of animals,” Guion said. “Doing our job well and efficiently gives us the capacity to help animals that in other parts of the country are doomed.”
Another new program helps low-income pet owners by providing them with basic, preventive care at an affordable rate. By this, the owners can keep their pets rather than have to give them up for adoption.
Two hundred sixty-five pet owners are enrolled, collectively owning 325 dogs and 464 cats. This figure is up from October 2012's 72 pet owners.
The Walk has received major sponsorship support from One Stop Country Pet Supply, media sponsorship from the Brattleboro Reformer, the Communicators Group, and WKVT, and additional support from White Rose Pet Cemetery, Brattleboro Veterinary Clinic, Leader Home Centers, Beuhler & Annis PLC, Brattleboro Savings & Loan, and DMI Paving.