HUMANE SOCIETY SPONSORS PET BLESSING, OPEN HOUSE SUNDAY

Animals at the Humane Society of Southeast Missouri will receive a blessing Sunday as part of the 84th annual Be Kind to Animals Week.

"We're celebrating the companionship, friendship and love animals bring to our lives," said Cynthia Kothe of the local Humane Society, "and at the same time show how everyone can do a little something this week to be kind to animals from putting a bird feeder in your backyard to spending a little extra time with your pet."

The blessing is among a series of events planned by the local shelter during the week. Activities include an open house from 1 to 4 p.m. Sunday. An All-Alumni Animal Show at 2:45 p.m. Sunday, and the Fifth Annual Paw Crawl May 8.

In addition, the shelter is sponsoring a "Be Kind to Animals Kid Contest" to honor the contributions children make to animals. Nominate a child between ages 11 and 18 who has made a contribution to animals. The winner will be selected based on service, commitment and time dedicated. Nomination forms are available at the Humane Society, 2536 Boutin Drive.

The Rev. Grant Gillard, pastor of First Presbyterian Church in Jackson will offer the blessing.

The animal show is for anyone who has adopted a pet from any shelter. Individuals will have an opportunity to talk about their pets and how the animals have added to their lives, Kothe said.

At the end of the week, pets and their owners will travel around the lagoon at Capaha Park to raise money for the Humane Society of Southeast Missouri.

Registration for the Paw Crawl is at 8:30 a.m. and the walk starts at 9 a.m. May 8. "People can bring any pets, dogs, cats, ferrets, a goldfish in a bowl," Kothe said. About 80 people participated last year.

Leading this year's walk is Southeast Missouri writer Sam Blackwell and his dog Lucy.

The week is the oldest of its kind in the nation. "Back then it was considered a novelty to be kind to animals," said Kothe. "Most people felt that animals were here for us to use and abuse for profit. But through the decades, public opinion has changed. We now realize the importance of animals in our lives and that our responsibility extends to their care and well being too."

The week also celebrates the work of humane societies and animal shelters.

In 1998, the Humane Society of Southeast Missouri provided shelter to more than 5,400 homeless animals.

Many of the animals were returned to their owners after being lost. Hundreds of area school children received humane education lessons, representatives from the shelter spoke to civic groups and organizations in this and surrounding communities. The shelter staff took referrals for more than 100 cruelty cases.

In return, Kothe said, volunteers donated more than 11,000 hours to the shelter. They helped with special events like Pet Pals animal visitation program and the general care of the shelter animals. More than 1,200 families adopted pets from the shelter last year.