Mahatma Gandhi once said, “The greatness of a nation can be judged by the way its animals are treated.” Paul McCartney further said, “You can judge a man's true character by the way he treats his fellow animals.”
If this is true, it’s safe to say we have a great community blessed by people of solid character, given the outpouring of support for the upcoming “Paws for a Cause” event.
Anyone who knows Beth Capistran in Luverne knows about her passion for saving troubled animals and matching them with forever homes. It’s a taxing job that’s never done.
As soon as one pet is on its way to “happily ever after,” another one shows up forlorn … and often injured or sick.
… which means some don’t have happy endings.
Sometimes Beth and her small army of volunteers pour their hearts and souls (and money) into nursing an animal to health only to see it perish.
It’s heartbreaking.
And it’s expensive.
Last year the organization racked up more than $115,000 in veterinary bills. That’s why they’re asking for donations to keep their efforts afloat.
They’re planning a great fundraising event at the Howling Dog Saloon in Luverne on March 21. In addition to staging it at “The Dog,” and naming it “Paws for a Cause,” the creative planners have all kinds of other fun references to pets … like “Yappy Hour” at 5 p.m.
Tracy Area Animal Rescue (which Beth and her helpers are affiliated with) has paired dozens of humans with pets, each match with its own endearing and inspiring story.
I should know.
We adopted our beloved dog, Chance, through TAAR and our local matchmaker, Beth.
Chance is a Lab-Pyrenees mix whose face looks like a yellow Lab and whose bushy tail is curled like a Pyrenees.
He came to us as a 3-year-old housedog whose family had surrendered him. We don’t know much about his circumstances, but we see their loss as our gain. He’s beautiful, well behaved and well mannered … and now ours.
We can’t imagine our lives without him, and we’re grateful to TAAR and its volunteers for bringing us — and all the other matches — together.
They assisted 305 animals in 2019 and arranged adoptions for 255 of them.
Let’s help them out on March 21 at Howling Dog in Luverne. The Hills band, Six Mile Road, will provide live music, the silent auction is from 5 to 9 p.m. and there will be food and pet merchandise for sale.
See the TAAR Facebook page for details and the list of really great auction items. See you at “Yappy Hour.”