Humane Society calendar now ready
By Bonnie Edwards
Published in News on May 5, 2008 1:46 PM
Calendars featuring area professional women who dared to bare all for the photo shoots have arrived.
The Wayne County Humane Society's Petals & Paws Calendar is now available at the Pet Supplies Plus store at 319 N. Berkeley Blvd. and in Health Habit Natural Foods and Wine at 606 N. Spence Ave.
Project Chairman Suzi Wharton said the calendar is called Petals & Paws because each model has lots of flowers and her own personal pet in the photo with her. Some bared it all. Some just looked like they did. All were tastefully photographed with strategically located flowers and animals.
"It was a fun project and all for a good cause," Mrs. Wharton said.
The 18-month calendar runs from July 2008 -- when county officials hope to be able to open the new Wayne County Animal Adoption and Education Center -- to December 2009.
The fundraising project was part of the group's efforts to raise $150,000 toward the construction of the new $1.8 million facility.
Mrs. Wharton said the Humane Society has 3,000 calendars to sell. Each calendar is available for a $20 donation to the Humane Society. Sealed calendars are available immediately, but the Humane Society is holding a signed calendar event on May 14 at the Health Habit.
After the first few are sold, she said, 100 percent of sales will go to the facility. That is because everything was donated except for the printing, and some sponsors helped toward that. Pinewood Florist donated all the flowers used in the photos, and Allen & Woodlock Photography did all the shooting and calendar design work free of charge.
Animal Control Director Justin Scally said he plans to buy a calendar. He hopes to open the new facility in July or August.
"We want to make sure everything is running smoothly," he said Thursday.
The 11,000-square-foot, state-of-the-art Animal Adoption and Education Center at 1600 Clingman St. is finished on the outside. Work is currently going on inside.
"It looks good from the outside," Scally said. "We're working now on the heating, ventilation and air conditioning system, which will help control disease by getting the dirty air out of there and fresh air into the building. ... The kennels will be easier to clean and spaced to there is no nose-to-nose contact between pens. Our intent is to not put a bunch of dogs into one pen."
The facility will have a visiting room, separate areas for small and large dogs, quarantine for aggressive dogs or those that might have rabies, a meeting room, and an education room so the animal control officers can talk to students about how to care for their new adopted pet.