KINGSVILLE TOWNSHIP — With big, sad eyes, Leslie the dog watched the people around her eat hot dogs and pasta salad Sunday afternoon at the Ashtabula County Animal Protective League shelter.
While Leslie was more fixated on the delicious hot dogs than the people, the shelter board of directors got busy honoring the many volunteers that keep the shelter running.
“From the people who walk dogs and cuddle cats to the people who run our events and volunteer at the mall shelter, we know we couldn’t do a fraction of the things we do for the county’s homeless animals without those volunteers,” APL board vice president Irene Fiala said. “It is difficult to express our true gratitude to the people who give so much of themselves to help the animals.”
The shelter honored David Lovejoy as the APL Volunteer of the Year.
“We are in a place where we simply don’t have enough volunteers right now,” Fiala said. “We need extra hands to help at our events and we are contemplating shutting down the mall shelter at the Ashtabula Towne Square because we simply don’t have enough volunteers to staff the store on Saturdays.”
Fiala said APL volunteers, including members of the volunteer board of directors, have big plans for the coming weeks with many events scheduled to help promote adoptions, raise money, and gather donations of pet food and other necessary items.
n The APL will host the Boo Wow Walk at the Maple Ridge Golf Course on Oct. 20. Registration is $18 until Oct. 1 and $20 after Oct. 1. Vendors, sponsors and walkers are needed for the event, which will include the annual costume contest. For more information or to download a registration form, go to www.acapl.org.
n The shelter will host the annual Reverse Trick-or-Treat at the Green Road shelter on Oct. 25. This is an opportunity for people to bring treats for the cats and dogs at the shelter and go from cage to cage to fill the animals’ treat buckets. Donations of treats and other needed items will be accepted at the event and cookies and punch will be served.
