Pooch smooches and kitten kisses
- Photo Provided Dogs and cats get ready to be adopted at the Belmont County Animal Shelter and Cat Stray Shun’s Valentine’s Day-themed fundraiser Feb. 8 at the Ohio Valley Mall. People can also buy items to raise funds for veterinary bills.
ST. CLAIRSVILLE — The community can meet dogs and cats up for adoption from the Belmont County Animal Shelter and buy items and donate to raise funds for the animals’ veterinary bills.
The animal shelter and Belmont County Cat Stray Shun will have their “Smooch a Pooch and Kiss a Kitten” fundraiser from noon to 3 p.m. Feb. 8 at Center Court in the Ohio Valley Mall, where shoppers can look at adoptable dogs and cats that are available and buy items, such as jewelry, dog coats and Valentine’s Day decor.
All money from purchases and donations will go directly to the vet care of the animals. The shelter also is always looking for donations of supplies and has a wishlist on its Facebook page so interested people can see what the shelter needs. Area residents can bring the items they wish to donate to the fundraiser.
The prices of the items for sale are very reasonable, Cat Stray Shun founder Candace Fleagane said. She noted most items are priced under $5, except for a “beautiful” wreath that she described as Valentine’s Day themed.
Without fundraisers, the animal shelter would not be able to afford care for the animals, she said.
“Every penny will go to help the animals’ veterinary bills. Nobody gets paid,” Fleagane said. “We’re all volunteers.”
All items for sale at the fundraiser were donated to the shelter by people Fleagane knows and who have been donating items for years.
Some care the animals need to receive at the vet includes: cats need tests for feline leukemia, dogs need tests for Lyme disease, heartworm medicine, rabies shots, FVRCP shots, which is a distemper shot, different kinds of medicines such as flea treatments and spay and neuter operations.
Fleagane described some vet care as more extensive than a spay and neuter operation, such as amputations for injured animals. Animals have also stayed at the vet clinic for a week or longer, which will run the bill up.
The adoption fee is $50 for adult cats, $75 for kittens and $125 for all dogs. People will be able to meet the animals, pet them and hug and kiss them to see if they’re interested in adopting, but everyone’s application and fee have to be approved before they can take the animal home.
Fleagane thinks it’s fitting to have a Valentine’s Day-themed fundraiser close to the holiday.
“For Valentine’s Day, we want to have somebody to love, and you can love a pet, give a pet a home.”
Fleagane hopes all of the animals present at the mall will get adopted and that the shelter raises plenty of money to put toward the veterinarian bills. Call Fleagane at 740-338-9339 for further information.