Well, who doesn’t love mutts

Another pet celebration day will be held on Wednesday: Mutt’s Day! We at CAPS are particularly fond of mutts, perhaps because we become friends with so many of them at the shelter. Though a pure-bred dog will come and stay for a while, mutts make up the majority of our canine guests.

Many people are drawn to pure-bred dogs for various reasons; certain breeds can sniff better (for example, bloodhounds), guard better (for example, Dobermans), shed less or not at all (for example, Malteses), hunt better (for example, German shorthair pointers) — to name only a few attributes. Sometimes, however, because their bloodlines are so carefully fine-tuned, undesirable traits arise, such as being overly aggressive or temperamental.

On the other hand, mutts seem to just want to be your friend, to hang out with you, to take you for a walk. Mutts do offer protection if by nothing else than barking when strangers appear at your home. My late dog, Lucy, was very good at this. I don’t think she would have bitten anyone, but she never let anyone come near unannounced.

If you have a mutt, celebrate him on this day set aside to honor him. Here are a few suggestions: Spend extra time playing and snuggling with him; fix him a special dinner of fresh meat and veggies; share your love of your mutt on Mutt’s Day Facebook page. We hope that you will also visit our Facebook page (Churchill Animal Protection Society) to post pictures and tell us how much you love your mutt.

Don’t have a mutt but want one? Then go to our website, www.capsnv.org, and check out who would love to be your next best friend. Like cats instead? Well, we have them too.

If you have a mutt (or a pure bred), a cat, bird or lizard, how about getting their pictures taken for our 2014 Happy Endings calendar? Our next photo shoots are tomorrow and Aug. 17 at Flower Tree Nursery from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Kim Lamb will again be capturing that specialness that you see in your furry (or feathered or scaly) friend.

This year, instead of asking for dog or cat food, the fee is $20 for the first pet picture in the calendar and then $10 for each additional pet picture space (maximum $30). This fee entitles you to a free 2014 calendar (a $10 value).

On your 2013 calendar, please note our garage sale that will be held on Sept. 20–21. Though all CAPS board members and shelter staff are busily gathering items in our households, we need much more for this to be successful. So we’re sending a large plea for donations of gently used household, garage, yard and whatever-else items.

Thanks to Spring Valley Rentals, we have been given (pro bono) a storage unit (at 1105 Taylor Place) to hold donated items from Aug. 1 through Sept. 20. On the first four Saturdays in August (3, 10, 17 and 24), CAPS volunteers will be there from 9 a.m. to noon, to receive your donations.

Can’t make it on those dates, are housebound or have items too big to handle? Well, we’ll come get them! All you need to do is call Rita Hand, and she will schedule a pickup for you (home: 775-423-6346; cell: 775-427-3376). Should Rita not immediately take your call, please leave a message, and she will return your call as soon as she can.

As a final note, if you are interested in joining the CAPS board of directors, please come to our next meeting on Aug. 6. We meet at 5 p.m. at the Serendipity Corner Bookstore (Churchill County Library’s used-book store at 507 S. Maine St.) in its meeting room at the back of the building (the entrance is on the side street).

To become a board member, CAPS has the following three requirements.

You must be a CAPS member, and membership starts at $25, which is paid annually.

Consistent attendance at monthly meetings is very important because this is where issues are discussed and decisions are made.

Your help must be available for our two main fundraisers in May and October.

For more information, please call the shelter (775-423-7500) during normal business hours (Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.).

This week’s article was contributed by Betty Duncan, a member of the CAPS board of directors.