Sandoval goes to the dogs

COURTESY PHOTO The Sandoval community in Cape Coral is holding a dog wash to raise money for the Gulf Coast Humane Society on April 12. Sandoval's canine contingent invites fellow four-paws and their families to gather for a dog day afternoon of fun from 1 to 4 p.m. Saturday, April 12, at the community's Barkley Park dog park to raise money for the Gulf Coast Humane Society.

Volunteers from the animal-adoption organization will be on hand to provide doggy spa services during the seventh annual Gulf Coast Humane Society Dog Wash. Admission is $5 per car. Dog washes are $5 for small dogs, $8 for medium-sized dogs and $10 for large dogs. Nail trimming/filing services will be available for a donation.

Festivities will include contests for the canines - biggest, smallest and peanut butter eating - a "dog food" (Cocoa Puffs) eating contest for the kids as well as a pet look-alike contest.

The event will feature area businesses and pet professionals who will offer a number of canine-related and business services including Animal ER of SW Florida, Bark Avenue Dog Bakery, Mayhugh Realty Inc., Downtowner Car Wash SE, Fur Fairy Mobile Dog Grooming, JoBella Boutique, Naples Dog Magazine, Pure AWE of Lee County, The Print Shop and Your Doggie's Bag.

The dog wash commemorates the secondyear anniversary of the opening of Barkley Park, a fenced-in park designed especially for Sandoval's resident dogs, while giving people (and canines) an opportunity to support the organization that provides a refuge for surrendered pets and - unless too ill or debilitated - will keep and care for them until homes can be found for them.

"We're looking for this year's event to be both a fundraiser and a friend raiser," says Aimee LaLonde, Gulf Coast Humane Society's director of development. "We want more people to know who we are and where we are. We want to introduce people to our animals and our mission and get them into thinking of Gulf Coast Humane Society as the place to adopt when they want another animal."

The group also needs to make people understand that it is a private, nonprofit organization, unaffiliated with other animal organizations. "We rely on the generosity of individuals in our community" to have sufficient money to pay for food, utilities and staff, expenses that get more costly all the time, LaLonde says.