Despite being a lazy Sunday morning, both registered dogs and their owners, volunteers and organizers alike were scrambling about in anticipation and preparation for the event.
Most participants arrived soon after lunch. And soon the park was crowded with everyone milling about the different booths that the sponsors had set up, collecting goodie bags and keeping an eye out for the best deals possible.
Events such as the dog agility and grooming competition garnered many passers-by – some seasoned competitors amidst mainly first timers. Regardless of the level of ability, it was a joy to watch the numerous dogs that weaved through poles, jumped over hurdles and ran as quickly as possible through tunnels. Spirits were high as every participating dog met with applause although there were crowd favorites that garnered the loudest cheers!
Noah's Ark had a few booths at the event, a photography booth for owners to have momentoes of their dogs taken by professional photographers, doggie game booths and our merchandise booth show casing our latest Noah's Ark shirts. We are pleased to say that it was well received!
In an effort to raise more funds, young Andreana and her friends volunteered to walk around the park with donation tin cans, to try to get dog owners to part with some loose change. Just as there were generous people who gladly donated $50 bills to Andreana and her friends, there were those on the other end of the spectrum too. Andreana was disheartened when she received comments such as "I didn't bring my wallet", "I have no money" and "Is this really for Noah's Ark?" etc. Would giving a few coins be detrimental to one? If every single person at the park that day was to give a dollar coin, imagine how far this dollar could have gone! How many industrial dogs Noah's Ark could have sterilized?
Fortunately there were lots of generous people around on that day, people who tried their best to stuff dollar notes into the tiny opening on the donation tin can, and one lady who wrote a cheque for Noah's Ark - at the park! Thank you!
Lady and her puppy Prince were there too, and many were amazed by Lady's grace and her recovery. Those that had rushed down just to catch a glimpse of Lady but missed her, fret not. We are still hopeful that she will find a forever home here and so will continue to bring her down to our upcoming events.
The grand finale being "Paws for a Cause"; a 1.5km walk that started at 4.30pm with 8 year old Andreana leading the pack with Prince! The participants – both owners and dogs alike, walked the 1.5km distance in good spirit, showing the support they had for Project Industrial Dogs.
We are happy to report that we managed to raise $12,000 at this fund raising event. We are grateful for the support received and we will on our part commence our project with high anticipation that with your continued support we will eventually reach our target of 400 dogs! Thank you for believing that we can all make a difference to our canine friends.
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