Support Your Local Dogs

By: Melanie Coy

This will be a fun weekend to be an animal lover. May 1 through May 3 will have a little something for everyone.

Friday, May 1 will give the bowlers in our area a chance to show their skills, while helping to raise funds for Safe Harbor Animal Sanctuary. West Park Lanes in Cape Girardeau will be hosting the "Strikes for Strays" Bowl-a-Thon fundraiser. Even if skill is not the way to describe your bowling abilities, you can enjoy the fun from 6:00 pm to 9:00 pm.

Then get up early, Saturday May 2 and get your running shoes warmed up. St. Francis Fitness Plus will be taking sign ups for the Furry 5K at Capaha Park, Shelter 1, from 8:00 am to 8:45 am. This will be a run to benefit the Pet Pal Program. Pet Pals are the group of volunteers, from the Humane Society of Southeast Missouri, that share their pets with our area care facilities. The run is scheduled to begin a 9:00 am. Even if you do not participate in the run, spectators are always welcome.

Also on May 2, from 10:00 am to 3:00 pm, will be the 100 Years of Service Celebration, honoring the Cape Girardeau Fire Department, at the Cape River Heritage Museum, 538 Independence St. in Cape Girardeau. There will be a static fire truck display and children's games. One of the afternoon guests will be Bosley, from the Humane Society of Southeast Missouri. Bosley will be the honorary fire dog for the day. Bosley is also going to be participating in the upcoming Canine Good Citizen training program, hosted by the Cape Area Family Resource Center. This is a fun way to support many different community organizations all at one time.

May 3 will be the third annual Bully Bash hosted by Mutts-n-Stuff, at the Point Dusable Park in St. Charles, Missouri. This is a free educational event from 10:00 am to 4:00 pm. This is a wonderful opportunity to support one of Missouri's largest dog and cat rescues. Among the activities planned, there will be a Canine Good Citizen test in conjunction with the Therapy Dog International test. All pets are welcome, just be sure to bring your leash.

This will be a fun weekend for showing community support for many worthwhile projects and your love of animals. For more information on these events please contact April Sterne, Safe Harbor Animal Sanctuary, 573-243-9823, Sandy Dennis, Fitness Plus, 573-331-3355, Cape River Heritage Museum, 573-334-0405, Mutts-n-Stuff, 314-306-6888 or Melanie Coy at mscoy@netzero.com.