EVERETT — March Madness is so last year. Folks, it’s time for “March Muttness.”
The annual competition, started by the Humane Society of Southern Arizona, pits animal shelters nationwide against each other in a bracket-style event as shelters seek to raise donations to advance to further rounds.
This is the second year the Everett Animal Shelter has participated in the event. Last year, the shelter was one of the final eight teams remaining and raised over $2,500. Money donated to the shelter funds medical procedures for animals.
“It’s also fun in terms of engaging the community in a different way,” said Lindsay Roe, the development manager at the Everett shelter, in an interview. “It captures a different set of donors that like the competition and seeing where we’re at, pitching in when we’re close. There’s nothing else like this we do throughout the year.”
As of 5 p.m. Friday, Everett is lagging $424 behind the Neenah Animal Shelter, based in Wisconsin, in the first round of the event. The event has raised $1,026 for the Everett shelter so far.
The competition isn’t the only event the shelter is putting on this month, either. From 10:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Sunday, the shelter is set to host a “Puppy-palooza” adoption event to find permanent homes after an influx of puppies arrived at the shelter in recent weeks.
“The influx of puppies not only requires a dedicated portion of the shelter space to accommodate, but they also fill many of our foster homes,” wrote animal shelter volunteer Jason Robertson. “An event like this in which we can match up and adopt out many puppies at once frees up valuable space in and out of the shelter.”
About 15 puppies — with names like Boq, Forest, Dorothy and Wizard — will be available for adoption. Fees range from $300 to $400.
“It’s really important to get puppies into homes, at least foster homes, as early as possible so they aren’t growing up in the shelter,” Roe wrote. “These months are crucial for development and socialization and as hard as we try, a shelter is not the ideal environment for puppies. Adoptions also generate revenue which we need to operate, and puppies do go for a bit higher rate than adult or senior dogs.”
Will Geschke: 425-339-3443; william.geschke@heraldnet.com; X: @willgeschke.
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