A fundraiser fit for the dogs

On the Bright Side

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July 7, 2012

A fundraiser fit for the dogs

Dog house ‘mansion’ raffle aids SSPCA

Mark Boshnack Daily Star The Daily Star Sat Jul 07, 2012, 10:10 AM EDT

A June 29 raffle of a dog house “mansion” helped the Curtis Lumber Store in New Berlin earn bragging rights among other locations in the 22-store chain, an employee said.

Every year the stores conduct a monthlong “pet-a-palooza” to raise money for local shelters and help pets in need find homes, store manager John Sheldon said. The fundraiser was started three years ago by company owner Jay Curtis and his wife, who are avid pet lovers.

Assistant manager Mike Berthel built the 4-feet-by-6-feet wooden dog house on his own, working weekends.

The building was delivered Friday to Michael Turner of New Berlin, who won the raffle. The company works with the Susquehanna Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals in Cooperstown on the fund drive.

Thanks to the raffle, the New Berlin store sold the most tickets of any store in the chain, raising $775 for the shelter, Sheldon said.

It also provided transportation to the store for dogs and cats from the shelter for a June 16 adoption day.

This is the third year the shelter is working with the company on the events, Cooperstown SPCA Executive Director Liz Mackey said.

According to Mackey, the partnership results in adoptions not only on the day of the event, but the exposure sometimes results in later placings.

The event is a “win-win,” with a raffle-holder getting the dog house, and the shelter getting the financial help, and help with adoptions.

Those kinds of donations are always important but more so now that the shelter is still dealing with expenses from a recent animal cruelty case, she said.

“I think it’s a good cause,” Sheldon said. Being “pet-friendly” is part of the company’s philosophy.