Annual Pet Walk, festival to aid Animal Rescue Foundation

The Animal Rescue Foundation hopes to raise $5,000 for veterinary bills to prepare animals for adoption at this year’s Pet Walk and Festival at the Oconee River Greenway and Riverwalk, which takes place Oct. 3.

Past events failed to draw significant crowds, but organizers are hoping for a better turnout this year.

“We hope with a new location that is pet-friendly and a new fundraising system for our Pet Walk will help revamp this event,” ARF President Bobbie Thompson said.

Instead of charging a flat $25 registration fee, as in past years, ARF has switched its Pet Walk over to a pledge system. The pledges will start at $25 and max out at $500. Walkers who pledge can walk with their own dog, walk with a photograph or keepsake of a dog, or walk with a dog from ARF that is up for adoption. Pledgers can also sponsor walkers if they don’t want to walk themselves.

Many of the volunteers are students at GCSU like Andrea Koontz, a junior English major.

“I enjoyed volunteering at ARF a lot and I was very passionate about it,” Koontz, who volunteered over the summer, said. People get the impression that volunteering for ARF is cleaning up after the animals, but Koontz said ARF volunteering only includes walking with the dogs and playing with the cats.

The volunteers have to follow a mild dress code, which includes long pants, tennis shoes and no long jewelry.

“It’s a bittersweet reaction to see some of these animals go,” Koontz said.

Taylor Boggs, a second-year business student, adopted an Australian Shepherd and Labrador mix named Bourbon from ARF two months ago.

“Bourbon, formerly known as Jefferson at ARF, looked very playful, energetic and very well taken care of when I brought him out of the cage,” Boggs said.

The application for adopting a dog requires a fee of $100.

“I adopted from ARF because I like saving dogs’ lives,” Boggs said.

Following the Pet Walk, a festival will be held at the new Oconee River Greenway. Everyone can enjoy a picnic with hamburgers, chips and other picnic items on the Greenway.

Local vendors will be selling arts and crafts including jewelry, scarves and purses. ARF will also have a tent selling its new 2010 calendar and new Christmas ornament. ARF will also include an information table on pet care, ARF adoptions and volunteering at ARF.

Posted by Colonnade Archives on Sep 25 2009. Filed under Features. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can leave a response or trackback to this entry