Around three hundred people and at least as many dogs turned out for the Cayman Islands Humane Society’s annual 5K Walk and Wag at Safehaven on Sunday.
“It is our second most important fundraiser of the year,” explained Director Saskia Salden, who added that operating costs for the Humane Society are around $100,000 per month.
“At any given time, we have around 300 animals who need to be cared for, fed, kept clean and of course some of the dogs and cats require special care and surgery,” she said.
“We don’t get money from government, and if the Humane Society didn’t exist, it is likely there would be stray dogs roaming all over the place in Cayman, so we know we are doing important work.”
Fortunately for the 150 dogs currently housed at the shelter in George Town, they all got to take a break from the facility and go for a long walk on Sunday, with volunteers coming by an hour before the 5K to pick them up.
Other residents took part with their own dogs, and most were rescues. They ranged in size from a tiny Chinese hairless crested dog called ‘Archie,’ to enormous Great Danes.
While not officially described as a race, there were prizes given out for the first male and female crossing the finish line with dogs. This year it was Wiekert Weber and his dog Duke and Yancy Romero with Max who came home first in the 5K Walk and Wag.
“I got Max about seven months ago from One Dog at a Time,” explained Yancy Romero. “At first, he was very scared, I think he may have been abused; in the beginning you couldn’t even touch him, he was always nervous and afraid, but now he is a completely different dog, he is fine with people and even with other dogs. He is loving and kind and of course he is a very good runner.”
Humane Society Director Salden appealed for more support.
“Money keeps the shelter running and it is a constant challenge; we are always looking for support,” she said, adding that the shelter could use more people willing to provide foster care.
“If we can get a few more people willing to provide foster care, then we can rescue more animals because we will have less dogs at the shelter, and it also helps to get them more socialized, so they are more likely to get adopted.”
She added, “We have a constant stream of animals coming into the Humane Society. Some owners surrender dogs, perhaps because [they] are leaving island, or they are moving from a pet friendly place to non-pet-friendly location. Also, some dogs are just found roaming the streets, and in some cases, there are unwanted litters.”
She appealed for people to spay and neuter their pets so there are fewer unwanted dogs.
Anyone interested in adopting a cat or a dog, or able to volunteer or donate, please visit the Humane Society website or email [email protected].
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