By Peg Vlasak

HCHS Volunteer

Who will ever forget the year 2020? It was a dark time for humanity and yet, at the same time, many of us also experienced a slower, quieter time at home, time spent with family, loved ones, and pets. During that time, those of us at Huntingdon County Humane Society saw many dogs and cats be taken into homes because so many felt that it was a good time to adopt. Time threaded on and now we are in the summer of 2023 and happily, the pandemic is in the past. As with all good things, there can be a negative. Unfortunately, HCHS is now seeing the abandoned of the pandemic fill our shelter. Dogs and cats are being surrendered at an alarming rate across the country. People no longer “have time” for the pet they took in to fill their hours during lockdown. Schedules have filled with activity and many dogs are running as strays and they are also brought into the shelter at an alarming rate.

In September 2023, HCHS will hold its biggest fundraiser, the semiannual Bark and Wine. This event will have a live auction, dinner, drinks, raffle items, and information about animals that are available for adoption. Without the help of sponsorships and ticket purchases, the shelter would not have the funding to help dogs like current shelter pup, Hardy, who is a Border Collie mix searching for an active home and someone to love him. Without this fundraiser, our pretty girl, Raine, would not get her diabetic eye drops while she is with us. Without the support of our community, the copious amount of kittens and cats that flood our doors this time of year would not receive shelter, spay and neuter, and health care. The Bark and Wine fundraiser provides so much for our strays, for the dogs and cats that are abandoned or surrendered to us because people do not always understand the commitment it takes to have a pet. The funding the shelter receives keeps our doors open for shy Bella, a sweet lab mix who is kind and loving, or for joyful Tala who is searching for her forever home. We are able to give handsome Simba as many days as he needs to find the perfect home for his big personality thanks to the support this event brings us.

Tickets for the Bark and Wine can be purchased at Huntingdon County Humane Society, from a board member, or online at our website. Please come join us for a fun-filled evening on September 30, 2023 and help us care for the forgotten, abandoned, helpless animals of our county until they find their ‘purfect’ fit in their ‘furever’ home.