Animal Shelter Open House, Dec. 11

The Friends of the Shelter are sponsoring a Christmas Open House at the Bluffton Animal Shelter, 1 to 4 p.m., Dec. 11. The event will offer tours of the facility and raffle opportunities as well as refreshments for guests.
Ooh La La Pet Spa and Angela’s Rooming and Grooming both donated a gift basket containing treats and pet supplies that will be raffled off on during the Open House event. The other raffle comes from area veterinarians who are offering free vaccinations and physicals. Tickets for each raffle are just $1.
Although no adoptions will take place during the Open House, guests will be able to view the facilities and meet the many cats and dogs looking for their forever homes. Adoptions will resume the following Monday.
The shelter will also be collecting gifts for the animals to be placed under their Christmas tree. Bluffton Animal Shelter Director Tina Morris said, if last year’s success is any indication of what the animals can expect this Christmas, the Shelter will be bursting at the seams with holiday generosity.
“Last year, so many people brought donations that there was no room left in the foyer,” she said. While the greatest need at the Shelter right now is for large dog collars and leashes, a complete list of needed items is included below.
Among the items needing to be donated: treats, toys, large dog collars, leashes, blankets and towels, cat litter (non clumping), cat scratching posts, Kuranda Beds for dogs (www.kuranda.com), pet shampoo, pet combs and brushes, grooming clipper blades (size 5, 10, 30 & 40 for Oster A-5 clippers), Advantage Flea Treatment (for large dogs), kitten and puppy canned food (for unweaned babies), paper towels, Pine-Sol, Windex, bleach, laundry soap, and dish detergent.
For more information about the Open House or to donate items, contact the shelter at 824-6063.


If you can't make it to the Bluffton Animal Shelter Open House on Dec. 11, there's another opportunity to help the animals this holiday season. The next two Saturdays, Dec. 4 and 11, a group of local boy scouts will be set up in front of the Bluffton Wal-Mart from 10-2 selling Christmas stockings for pets. The stockings will contain dog or cat treats and will sell for $2 each. All of the proceeds will benefit the Shelter.
Although the scouts could not make this an official scouting event, they felt strongly enough about the cause that they're going ahead with it on their own. Come out to support this double cause.