The Humane Society of Rowan County is planning its 40th anniversary celebration and has planned many activities for the next few months.
• Lights of Love: On Friday, May 9, the Lights of Love will be displayed around the City Lake in Salisbury. This annual event was started 15 years ago by the HSRC in conjunction with Be Kind to Animals Week and provides an opportunity to honor or memorialize loved ones, both people and animals, for a donation of $3.00 per light. A registry of remembrances will be displayed by the lake on Annandale Drive.
Donations and names of those to be remembered should be mailed to the HSRC, P.O. Box 295, Salisbury, NC 28145 postmarked no later than May 6.
Requests may also be phoned to the organization at 704-636-5700, option 9, no later than Thursday. Proceeds from this event will be used to cover veterinary expenses for sick or injured stray and abandoned animals.
• Dog washes: The summer dog wash fundraisers, a popular service implemented in 1980 by the HSRC, will begin in June. Dates and locations are:
June 21 and Aug. 16 — West Side Plaza (formerly Salisbury Mall), from 10 a.m.-2 p.m.
July 19 — Tractor Supply at the intersection of Jake Alexander Boulevard and Julian Road, from 10 a.m.– 2 p.m.
• Coffee and Cutting: Jean McCoy’s annual Coffee and Cutting fundraiser will benefit the HSRC this year on Saturday, July 26. The public is welcome to visit Jean’s gardens on Steeplechase Trail from 8 a.m. until noon, enjoy refreshments and cut bouquets from her beautiful and plentiful flower beds.
Visitors are asked to bring a bucket and a pair of scissors, make a donation of $10 or more to the HSRC and take home, or take to a friend, a bucket full of flowers.
• Pampering: The 40th anniversary celebration will culminate with Pamper Your Pet/Pamper Yourself, an all day event at the Rowan County Fairgrounds on Saturday, Sept. 13. Vendors with products and services for both animals and people are invited to set up at this event and should contact the organization at 704-636-5700, option 9, or at humanesocietyofrowancounty@windstream.net to reserve a table. A horse show and the September dog wash are among the special events being planned for the day.
• Sponsorships: Supporters of the HSRC’s initiative to reduce the number of unwanted cats and dogs in our community are invited to help us celebrate 40 years of service by sponsoring the spay or neuter of a cat or dog. The organization’s goal is to have 40 spays and neuters sponsored through its Reduced Cost Spay/Neuter Service by the end of September. Sponsors may stipulate whether they will contribute a spay or a neuter and whether it will be for a cat or a dog.
The HSRC has operated a reduced cost spay/neuter service since the fall of 2003, and three local veterinarians perform the surgeries at their respective clinics.
To help with the reduction of the number births of unwanted cats and dogs in our community, please contact the HSRC.