By DANIEL SUDDEATH
Daniel.Suddeath@newsandtribune.com
August 29, 2008 11:29 am
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Guinea pigs, hamsters, rabbits — dogs and cats — even a parrot or two will be up for adoption at the third annual Purina Rally to Rescue event set for Saturday at the Floyd County 4-H Fairgrounds, located at 2818 Green Valley Road in New Albany.
The rally will run from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Rally to Rescue is a partnership between Purina Pro Plan pet food, Ratbone Rescues and Southern Star MinPin Rescue Inc., according to event organizer Suzanna Roberson.
A family-friendly event with several activities designed for children, the rally raises money that will be divided evenly between 10 of the 25 rescues scheduled to attend.
The 10 groups that receive donation money are rotated each year, Roberson said. That way everyone gets a chance at funding that will go to saving animals and finding them a good home.
All the rescues will have booths set up with different items and services for sale so they can each benefit from the rally.
“Any money the groups raise while there is theirs,” Roberson said. “It’s a really fun event for everybody.”
The groups represented save multiple species of animals, including a lady from Borden who runs a parrot rescue, Roberson said.
Rescues rely heavily on donations and fundraisers and Roberson said tough times have made their roles even more important.
“Because of economic conditions right now, a lot of the rescues are overwhelmed with dogs because people are losing their homes and can’t take their dogs with them,” she said.
Each group will have a chance to take the podium and talk about its rescue operation. Roberson said it helps to spread the message of what their mission is all about.
“Rally to Rescue is a wonderful thing because it gets all these rescue groups together,” she said.
Purina has been a big help for groups across the country by providing food and other items for rescues, Roberson said.
“(Purina) helps the rescues as much as they can,” she said.
One of the groups will be setting up a dog-washing booth for owners to get their dogs washed and groomed, for a fee that will go toward funding rescues.
There also will be booths set up by businesses such as Avon, which provides a donation to the rescues in order to sell their products at the event.
Roberson said nearly every rescue that attends brings animals for adoption, including dogs, cats and guinea pigs.
There also will be obedience and performance demonstrations and dog contests, along with information on how people can volunteer with the organizations.
Food and drink will be available for purchase and Sonny Fenwick will be there along with his famed Bubble Truck.
For more information, contact Roberson at 502-299-5789.
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