Unique Fund Raising Method

The Herald Bulletin


'A day in their paws'

Published - Feb 11 2012 04:16AM EST

By Abbey Doyle, The Herald Bulletin, Anderson, Ind.


Feb. 11—ANDERSON, Ind. — For Amy Swinford, staying in a concrete dog kennel with barred doors for 24 hours will certainly be challenging.

But the Madison County Humane Society board member said the overnight stay was a tiny sacrifice in light of the situation that dogs and cats are facing.

"I don't think the Anderson community is aware of the enormity of the homeless animal situation," she said. "I don't think they are aware of how many animals are brought in each year to the Humane Society and to our local shelter that don't have homes. There is an overabundance of pets. I hope this event educates the public on how serious the issue is."

Swinford and the other 11 board members will be experiencing "A Day in Their Paws" in honor of the hundreds of homeless cats and dogs in Madison County. The event begins Saturday at the shelter, 2219 Crystal St.

Each will stay in an individual dog kennel or in the free-roaming room for cats. They'll be with the animals that normally stay there, Humane Society Director Susie Schieve said.

The goal is for each to raise $1 per minute for a total of $1,440 in addition to corporate sponsors, with a total goal of $20,000. They will be "locked in" from 8 a.m. Saturday to 8 a.m. Sunday.

"The dedication of our board to do something like this is amazing," Schieve said. "They are going in and sacrificing 24 hours of their time to do this for the animals and bring awareness and money into the shelter which is totally funded by donations."

She pointed out that the Humane Society handles more than 100 animals at a time and adopts anywhere from 350 to 600 animals a year. The no-kill shelter takes overflow from the city of Anderson's shelter and also accepts animals from the county. The Humane Society also takes animals from the city shelter, known as the Animal Protection League, with a goal of preventing as many euthanizations as possible, Schieve said.

Another goal of the organization is to return lost animals to their owners and find "forever homes" for those in the shelter.

Swinford said this time of year donations for the shelter are typically down, so the board wanted to try to do something new to bring in donors.

"We are all really excited and in it for the same cause — helping place homeless animals and rasing funds for the Humane Society," she said.

The community is invited between noon and 5 p.m. to come out to the shelter to visit the participants, make a donation and meet the animals that are available for adoption.

Contact Abbey Doyle: 640-4805, [email protected]

___ (c)2012 The Herald Bulletin (Anderson, Ind.) Visit The Herald Bulletin (Anderson, Ind.) at www.theheraldbulletin.com Distributed by MCT Information Services

Staying in the cat room would probably kill me, but it sounds like a fun way to raise awareness in the community.