Updated news on CAPS’ ‘Bark in the Park’

Spring has been teasing us. Mother Nature throws out a few pleasantly warm days and then decides to take a rest. I do, however, see signs of spring: Most trees have leaf buds, and some actually show their greenery. Newborn calves are literally popping out in pastures all over. I look at my empty flowerbeds, thinking about what I’ll plant this year, and then a cold north wind blasts in.

Surely by May 4 spring will have settled in because on that day, we will be holding our annual Strut-Your-Mutt 5K Walk/Run and Bark in the Park, one of our biggest fundraisers of the year! Come and be a part of a day filled with fun activities. The 5K will start at 9 a.m., and Bark in the Park will run from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

This year we’re holding the event at Churchill County Fairgrounds. Though we had originally scheduled the event to be at Oats Park, the park is being re-sodded, so it cannot be trampled or driven upon for a while. The grassy area at the fairgrounds has been reseeded, and new grass is growing, so all those precious paws won’t be punished.

In the next few weeks, look for more information about the 5K and Bark in the Park in this column at our website (www.capsnv.org) and on our Facebook page (Churchill Animal Protection Society).

In other goings on, it’s still not too late to buy our 2013 Happy Endings calendars. The calendars can be purchased at the shelter, our Walmart Saturdays, Flower Tree Nursery, Red Zinnia, Mutts etc., The UPS Store and Desert Wind Salon and Antiques.

Next, we’re holding our first photo shoot for the 2014 Happy Endings calendar on April 6 at Flower Tree Nursery, weather permitting, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Kim Lamb, photographer extraordinaire, 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). (The free-calendar offer will not be valid for photos taken at Bark in the Park.)

Speaking of Flower Tree Nursery, Susan Henderson and her staff are again raffling off another tree, with all proceeds coming to CAPS. This spring it’s “Prairiefire,” a vibrant-pink crabapple tree valued at $79! Tickets are $1 each or six for $5 and can be purchased at Flower Tree, the shelter (when open) and our Walmart Saturdays (the next one is April 20). You just know that this tree will look stunning in your yard!

Sadly, not all news brings good tidings. Last week, CAPS dog walkers discovered a grisly find in the area where they walk dogs. There were 36 dead goats: one “adolescent” and 35 babies (cause of death unknown). The staff and the board want to give a huge thank you to the Churchill County Sheriff’s Office for picking up and disposing the bodies, a task that would have been prohibitively costly for us to do.

In closing, many of you already know about the 13 dogs found dead in two nearby areas in the desert. CAPS has joined these two groups and call them the Casey 13 (Casey Road was the second place they were found). A friend of CAPS got on board right away.

A reward is offered to the person or persons who provide information to the Churchill County Sheriff’s Office that leads to the arrest and prosecution of the person or persons responsible for the dogs found shot to death. If you have any information, please call the sheriff’s department (775-423-3116). If you would like to contribute to the reward fund, please call the shelter (775-423-7500) or mail your donation to the reward fund to CAPS, P.O. Box 5128, Fallon, NV 89407. Let there be justice for the Casey 13.

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