Two events to benefit SCRAPS

Pet costume party, food drive on Oct. 27

Sat., Oct. 20, 2012

By Lisa Leinberger lisal@spokesman.com (509) 459-5449

Coming up

Kibble4Kritters

What: Bring donations of treats, cat food, dog food, cat litter, toys, pet blankets and bleach for SCRAPS.

When: 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Oct. 27

Where: Goodwill parking lot, 13721 E. Sprague Ave.

Howl-o-ween Pet Costume Party

What: SCRAPS will receive 10 percent of all sales on this day. Customers are invited to bring their pets dressed in Halloween costumes, have their pictures taken and enter to win raffle prizes.

When: 1 to 3 p.m. Oct. 27

Where: Simply Northwest, 11806 E. Sprague Ave.

Information: (509) 477-2532.

SCRAPS is offering tips for anyone thinking about dressing their pets in costume for Halloween.

• The costume should not restrict the pet’s movement or hearing or impede its ability to breathe, bark or meow. Try them on in advance – if your pet seems distressed, don’t dress it in the costume.

• Make sure the costume doesn’t have any small, dangling parts or other chewables that pose a choking hazard. Make sure the costume fits well so it won’t get caught on any external objects.

• Get your pet licensed and microchipped. If your pet escapes and gets lost, the license and microchip can help bring it home.

Animal lovers and their companion critters can get into the Halloween spirit and help SCRAPS at a Howl-o-ween Pet Costume Party on Oct. 27.

The event is a fundraiser for Spokane County Regional Animal Protection Service. It will be from 1 to 3 p.m. at Simply Northwest, 11806 E. Sprague Ave.

Dress your pets in costume for pictures and 10 percent of every purchase in the store that day goes to SCRAPS.

“We’re just so thrilled,” said Janet Dixon, development coordinator for SCRAPS Hope Foundation. The group raises funds for animal medical care and to transport animals to other shelters when SCRAPS is full.

“Everything helps pay for those things,” she said.

On the same day, there will be a pet food drive in the parking lot of Goodwill, 13721 E. Sprague Ave. Dixon said a woman who came in to license her own pet approached her about filling her truck with cat food, dog food, pet blankets, toys and more as a donation to SCRAPS.

“I’d never met her before,” Dixon said. “I was just blown away.”

Sara Grant said this is the first time she has ever done anything like this. At this time of year, with the holidays approaching, many organizations hold drives for food banks, but Grant wondered what families do to feed their pets if they are struggling to feed themselves.

She volunteered her pickup truck to be filled for SCRAPS and talked to her employer, Jacob’s Upholstery, to see if they had a truck she could use in case her truck filled up.

“We’re doing this all by ourselves,” Grant said.

She talked to her friends who helped make fliers, but had trouble finding a location for the event. She said she talked to many organizations and stores before deciding to ask SCRAPS while she was there to license her dog.

Grant said she is very grateful to Goodwill for letting her use their parking lot.

While she will collect food, toys, blankets and treats, one item on their list doesn’t sound like it is pet-related, but it is: bleach.

Dixon said SCRAPS is always in need of bleach since staff members use it to clean out the shelter’s kennels.

With Halloween coming up, Dixon said pet owners should make sure their pets have a license and a microchip. Trick-or-treaters are strangers to the pets. The doorbell is ringing more than usual and the activity can be scary for pets. If they get out of the house, the license and microchip will make it easier to get them home.

She said pet owners should keep a close eye on candles inside their jack-o’-lanterns around pets and keep candy wrappers out of their reach.

“Candy is a big no-no,” Dixon said, for both dogs and cats.