At last, we’re only a couple days away from our first and hopefully annual Bark in the Park. Have a Heart board members and volunteers have spent the past couple months planning and organizing this spring fund raiser. It will be held Saturday, May 19th from 9 am to 1 pm. We have a rain date of May 26th, but at this point it looks like the weather will cooperate for the 19th. Some of the activities we have planned include a parade of pets, a pet costume contest, puppy kissing booth, a dog/owner look-alike contest and a tail wagging contest. Paws of Love Therapy dogs will be spreading the love. North Arkansas Kennel club will be there doing agility and obedience demonstrations. (Maybe I can pick up some tips to use on my 3 misbehaving dogs.) If you are planning on participating in the dog parade, you will have to register for the event. If possible, we prefer that you pre-register. This will make things move along better on the day of the event. Registration forms are available at the Shelter and you can pre-register on our website, www.haveaheartpetshelter.org . The cost is $20.00 and includes a t-shirt for you and a bandana for your pooch. Please, only one dog per person. We will have several vendors and food will be available. There are some common sense rules for this event which can be viewed on the registration form. Some of these rules include: Your dog must be current on all vaccines and leashed at all times. It’s your responsibility to clean up after your dog, if need be. Bags and disposal stations will be available. No dogs under 4 months old, and no females in heat. We want this to be a fun day with no stress or drama. Plan on joining us and show your support for Have a Heart.
If you can’t make it for Bark in the Park, you can support our shelter in other ways. Volunteer one day a week (or more) to walk the dogs or clean kennels, donate and shop our thrift store, buy an extra bag of dog or cat food and drop it off. If you walk for exercise, you can download the WoofTrax app and all that walking turns into donations for the shelter. (WoofTrax.com) You can also donate directly through the website. We have a great little shelter, but there are a lot of expenses involved to care for our animals. The funds we raise pay the rent, utility and vet bills. It also pays for laundry expenses, medications, flea and tick prevention as well as pet food, cleaning and other supplies. Every dime goes to the care of these animals. It’s important to note that there are no paid employees here. All the staff you meet are here not for pay, but for the satisfaction that comes from helping fulfill an important need. Let’s continue to keep this community asset going strong. Next week we will return to featuring our adoptable fur-kids. Have a Heart is located at 657 Highway 202 in Yellville. Phone 870-449-7387. We are open Tuesday through Saturday, 9am to 3 pm.