MONTAGUE — Saturday’s “Mutts in Need” fundraiser will see Franklin County dogs and their humans get together for a day full of entertainment.
The seventh annual fundraiser will be held at the Millers Falls Rod and Gun Club, 210 Turners Falls Road, from 3 to 8 p.m., and is hosted by the Friends of the Franklin County Regional Dog Shelter.
All proceeds benefit the Franklin County Sheriff’s Office Regional Dog Shelter. According to the shelter’s Office Manager Gabby Trudeau, Mutts in Need is the shelter’s biggest event of the year.
“The event raises enough money to cover the entire year’s worth of veterinary bills for the shelter dogs,” Trudeau said. “It also informs the community about what exactly it is that we do.”
The Franklin County Sheriff’s Office will be catering the event and the University of Massachusetts Amherst will be providing desserts. So far, the event has already pre-sold 60 tickets, and Trudeau hopes sales will continue through Saturday.
Tickets to the event cost $30 (cash only) for admission and food, Trudeau said. Credit cards, cash or checks will be accepted for the raffle and auction. Most raffle items were donated from businesses within the Pioneer Valley.
“There are beer and wine baskets, as well as high-end artisan items,” Trudeau said. “Some items are valued as high as $500.”
There will be entertainment throughout the day, including a magician, music and a slide show of dogs that have been adopted from the shelter. Additionally, K-9 Officer Lieutenant Scott Waldron will give a demonstration with his canine partner.
A highlight of the day will be a showcase about the recovery of a group of Mastiff dogs rescued with the help of the Animal Rescue League. Trudeau said the group of 21 dogs were rescued from a “heartbreaking” situation, with the Franklin County Sheriff’s Office Regional Dog Shelter keeping seven of them. Now, she said, the dogs have been rehabilitated and many have even been adopted.
“They were a hoarding case,” Trudeau said. “They were probably the most damaged, shut down dogs we had ever seen — physically, socially and emotionally.”
Advance tickets are sold at the Franklin County Regional Dog Shelter, 10 Sandy Lane in Turners Falls. For more information, call 413-676-9182 or visit bit.ly/33n1zy7.
Zack DeLuca can be reached at zdeluca@recorder.com or 413-772-0261, ext. 264.