Animals at South Suburban Humane Society that have serious health problems will have a better chance of receiving the care they need thanks to the generosity of bidders in the Pets on Parade auction that concluded on Saturday night.
cat statues being auctioned as part of the Pets on
Parade fundraiser for South Suburban Humane
Society. The auction raised more than $10,000.
(Photo by Eric Crump/H-F Chronicle)
Animals at South Suburban Humane Society that have serious health problems will have a better chance of receiving the care they need thanks to the generosity of bidders in the Pets on Parade auction that concluded on Saturday night.
Humane society CEO Emily Klehm said the auction of 30 decorated dog and cat statues, part of Homewood’s Fall Fest, raised $10,090.
“That way exceeded our expectations,” she said. “I would have been happy with $3,000. I would have been delighted with $5,000. I’m ecstatic at $10,000.”
The SSHS budget often cannot account for animals that have serious health problems from diseases to injuries. Klehm said the fundraiser will help pay for care in those cases.
As an example, she said a dog who was hit by a car recently was brought to the shelter. It required an amputation, an expense that before the fundraiser might have been difficult to cover.
The money raised was not the only benefit of the Pets on Parade project, done in conjunction with the village of Homewood, according to Klehm.
The project involved selling statues of dogs and cats to local businesses and organizations, which then gave the statues colorful and creative decorations. The statues were placed on downtown Homewood streets and in businesses all summer.
“I feel we raised a lot of awareness,” Klehm said. “A lot of people stopped by today (to see the Pets on Parade display). I had a lot of adoption conversations.”