Want to help build shelters for dogs in need?
The sixth annual Dog House Derby is happening Saturday at Cleveland County Animal Services, located at 1601 Airport Road in Shelby.
Hosted by the Association for the Welfare of Animals, work begins at 9 a.m. and continues until the task is finished. A rain date is scheduled for Nov. 23.
People are encouraged to bring power drills if they have them to assemble the precut dog houses, but it is not required.
The AWA works with area high school CTE students under their teachers’ supervision to cut out the houses from single sheets of plywood in carpentry classes. Those kits are then assembled during the derby.
Alison Still, president of the Association for the Welfare of Animals, said they put together 23 last year and are hoping for the same this year.
She said more funding and more volunteers translates into more houses.
Refreshments will be provided.
If people can’t make it out on the day of the derby but want to contribute, they can sponsor a house for $50 and have the name of their pet painted on the side. People can bring donations out to Animal Services on the day of the derby and pick out the house they wish to sponsor.
“The impact we like to make with this project is multi-faceted,” Still said. “For now, we involve the CTE classes at any of the high schools in the county that choose to participate.”
She said this offers instructors a project for their students and also involves young people the opportunity to help animals and hopefully inspire an interest in animal welfare. Â
“Not only is it open to the students in the CTE classes, but most high school seniors need service hours to complete requirements for graduation,” she said. “This project offers an opportunity for them to accumulate those hours, and help animals at the same time.”
The completed dog houses are then given to Cleveland County Animal Services at no cost and animal services officers then distribute them at their discretion to animals in need.
“It benefits dogs whose owners have not provided proper shelter for them for whatever reason,” Still said. “We are proud of this project, and pray we can continue to provide this service for years to come.”
For more information call 704-487-6555.
