A new event in Morinville is aimed at giving pet owners “paws” for thought and awareness.
The Morinville Veterinary Clinic is hosting their first ever Dog Jog on Sunday morning, starting at the clinic itself, with routes winding through the industrial park in which they are located.
The clinic is getting to the point where it doesn’t have room to take in any more animals, so something needed to be done, said veterinary technician Jeanine Smith, who is the organizer of the event.
“Right now we’re really full on our strays … It’s to increase awareness that people can look here for their pets and also that we do have an adoption program,” Smith said.
She added that, while registration fees will be collected and any money raised will go towards their stray/rescue fund, the Dog Jog is more about awareness than fundraising.
“Any funds we do raise are greatly appreciated and definitely accepted,” she said. “I’d love to have a [fundraising] goal, and next year, we probably will have a goal, but since it’s the first year, we just wanted to get it off the ground.”
There will be two routes for the Dog Jog, one measuring 1.5 kilometres and one at 2.5 kilometres. Registration fees are $25 and $30 respectively. The clinic’s stray/rescue fund is used to cover the costs of food, spaying or neutering, deworming, microchipping and tattooing. A concession run by local 4-H members will also be on site, with proceeds going to the fund.
While the event is being held in Morinville, its reach will extend beyond the town’s limits, as the clinic is the holding facility for stray pets collected by peace officers in both Morinville and St. Albert. This is a surprise to many St. Albertans.
“We’re pretty lucky with the St. Albert ones; most of them do go home,” Smith said. “But of course there are the odd few that don’t. They’re usually in here from an hour to — we’ve a couple that sit here five or six days, and that’s probably because people just don’t know.”
However, sometimes the owners don’t come back for their pets, which means it’s up to Smith and her colleagues to find them new loving homes. On average, they usually have about six pets ready to adopt but right now they have 14.
“Small dogs have an easier time finding a home than the large guys, and anything younger — young puppies and kittens — usually go first, before the older guys,” she said.
Most are in pretty good shape when they arrive at the clinic.
“We always get the odd one that isn’t, but most of them come in well taken care of, well fed; they’re just missing,” she said. “It’s sad that they don’t go home because you know they had an owner.”
As the day of the Dog Jog gets closer and closer, Smith said there are still a few hurdles to clear, but she’s excited to get the event going.
“I still have a lot to do,” she said with a laugh, “but I am excited. I think it’ll be a lot of fun.”
In addition to the Dog Jog itself, the clinic will also have adoptable pets on display and will have Morinville peace officers on hand to answer questions about the town’s responsible pet ownership bylaw, which was passed last spring.
They will also be microchipping dogs and cats for a 30 per cent discount off the regular fee, although people interested in that service are asked to call ahead and book an appointment.
The Dog Jog kicks off on Sunday with registration between 9:15 and 9:45 a.m. in the main lobby of the Morinville Veterinary Clinic, located at 9840 90 Ave.
