Bad weather could not keep supporters from the path of the Collegial Woods Trail for the annual Festival of Paws held on May 3rd as a fundraiser for the PAWS of Muskingum County spay and neuter assistance program.
38 Runners participated in the 5K race held at noon, and several others showed up for the 1-mile fun walk. Brian Hall of Zanesville got the overall fastest time for the males, and Carrie McDowell of Millersburg took the top position for the females.
“I cannot believe the amount of people who came and ran in the cold, wet rain,” said Teresa Hildebrand, President of PAWS of Muskingum County. “If this had been really good weather, our second year would have done really well … For the weather, it was really good.”
Over 30 vendors originally signed up to participate, but some could not make it due to the wind and rain. Even so, there was still a nice selection of food vendors, pet-related organizations and businesses, and artisans. Chatty Cat Cafe,, Randy’s Backyard BBQ and Gator Bites were among the food vendors in attendance. Additionally, nonprofit Pet FBI Ohio provided free microchipping, which resulted in 33 pets being microchipped during the event.
PAWS also hosts a Christmas Auction in December. Proceeds from both events are going towards efforts to bring a spay/neuter facility to Southeastern Ohio.
“We’re trying to raise money for a spay/neuter facility that will be based in Muskingum County, and it should serve Southeastern Ohio. Because right now we have done over 2,000 spays and neuters each year for the last two years,” explained Hildebrand.
The need is great as there is a limited number of veterinarians in Southeast Ohio, and some neighboring counties don’t have spay/neuter programs.
PAWS currently facilitates opportunities to spay and neuter pets through scheduling mobile clinics or by transporting animals to other area clinics. They also help trap feral cats so they can be spayed/neutered. Although not their main mission, PAWS has also partnered with the Zanesville PetSmart to help find homes for cats.
The program has surpassed 10,000 spay/neuters in about 7 years.
“Our biggest goal is prevention,” stated Hildebrand. “We are drowning in dogs, cats, and kittens … it’s hard, it’s heartbreaking.
Donations can be made directly to PAWS by visiting their website pawsofmuskingum.org/donate.
