Raise the Woof gives boost to area Humane Society

Hundreds of animal lovers — and several animals — turned out to support the Humane Society of Southeast Missouri’s Raise the Woof comedy night fundraiser.

The event, hosted by Lawless Harley-Davidson, raised money to fund the building of additional facilities for the Humane Society.

Humane Society development director Holly Godwin said the event was the Humane Society’s largest fundraiser since the decision to pursue new facilities was announced in December.

“It’s our first Raise the Woof event ever,” she said. “We thought it would be a good way to raise funds.”

She said it was unclear how much money the event raised Saturday night, because there were several things going at once for the Humane Society. The Cape Girardeau Roller Derby club hosted a raffle, and there was a silent auction with an array of pet-friendly and owner-friendly prizes.

Prizes included a training day with the Cape Girardeau Police Department, several pet-grooming packages and a dog-sized St. Louis Cardinals jersey signed by former manager Tony La Russa.

But with tickets priced at $35 and more than 250 sold before the event, Godwin said it was a definite step toward paying for the new facilities.

“Our current building was originally built as a grooming facility. ... It’s over 50 years old,” she said. “We’re definitely in need of it.”

When the organization originally approached Lawless about a donation, general manager Dan Ryan offered to do better — he offered his facility to host an event.

“Why make a donation when you can do something big?” he explained. “But I didn’t expect this large of a crowd. This is awesome.”

Gary Prough, general sales manager at Lawless, said the event was “the greatest thing we’ve done” in several months.

“There have been lots of causes [that we’ve helped],” he said. “But this is a big deal for us.”

As it turns out, the shop at Lawless is pet-friendly, as their butterscotch French bulldog, Clark Kent, can attest.

“Yeah, he lives here,” Prough said. “But tonight, he’s finding everything that’s dropped on the floor.”

The night’s entertainment was a group of stand-up comedians who tour around the country performing at similar events to benefit other Humane Society organizations.

Baton Rouge, Louisiana-based emcee Howard Hall had the crowd laughing in short order by poking fun at Missouri’s notoriously fickle weather.

“Why is this happening in America right now?” he asked. “Twenty-three degrees is not a number that I am used to. ... But you all know how it goes down. It’s Missouri!”

Donna Hand, who also works at the Humane Society, said she was impressed with the event and glad to see it happen.

“We need new kennels desperately,” she said. “I can’t wait until they get the new building.”

She said as it is, the staff faces crowded and dysfunctional infrastructure — from ceilings to insulation to water pressure.

And to make things more troublesome, the shelter sees 10 to 12 new animals per day.

At this time, the new facility doesn’t have a completion date set.

“We’re still in the initial phases of that,” Godwin said. “But it’ll be worth it.”

tgraef@semissourian.com

(573) 388-3627

Pertinent address:

2100 E. Outer Road, Scott City, Mo.

2536 Boutin Drive, Cape Girardeau, Mo.