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Animal lovers and their furry friends put their best paws forward in a bid to raise awareness and funds for the Bahrain Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (BSPCA).
The chilly weekend weather didn’t stop 54 dog owners and a number of volunteers from stepping out on the annual Strut your Mutt walk held at the Animal Welfare Centre in Askar with their lovable pooches bundled up in coats, scarves and bandanas.
A total of 116 canines of all shapes and sizes, including 62 of the BSPCA’s own dogs, were treated to a day of frolic and fun on Friday as they were able to socialise with other pets during the breezy 10km walk for adults and 4km stroll for children.
According to the BSPCA secretary, Claire Cunnigham, around BD2,000 has been raised so far which will be used to fund the charity’s on-going Catch, Neuter, Vaccinate and Return (CNVR) programme for strays, as well as help cover the operational costs of running the shelter taking into account food, vet bills and the price of utilities.
Youngster Jacob Lund-Nielsen collected a sum of BD173 all on his own walking his golden retriever Monty. The 10-year-old British School of Bahrain pupil’s efforts won him a sporty cycle donated by Skate Shack.
A BSCPA spokesman said: “Jacob was delighted with his prize and told us that only last week his parents had talked about buying him a new bike and now he has won his own!”
Big-hearted supporter Sarah Womer also managed to pull together a whopping BD270 and was awarded with a huge supply of Pedigree pet food for the most money raised by an individual in the adult category.
Over the years, the American mother-of-two has dressed up in different dog costumes made by her friend and partner-in-crime Sarah Clarke, to raise funds during the trek.
Last year, the duo collected more than BD300.
Mrs Womer has even pulled in more funds by completing hilarious tasks during the event such as walking the course on all fours, using a skipping rope, walking backwards or singing a song which her friend would document on video to prove that she had performed as promised.
Mrs Womer said: “I was able to raise the funds with the help, sponsorship and support of my dear friend, Sarah. It was a team effort.
“I also have to thank all the random individuals I met the night before the big day who dug deep to sponsor me for the walk. I wore my dog costume and went up to strangers at the Bahrain Rugby Football Club during my son, James’ soccer practice to raise awareness about the event, rescue dogs and the BSPCA’s constant efforts.”
Mrs Womer, who dressed up as Dotty the Dalmatian last year, sported many spots this time around as Spot the Rescue Dog. She walked her five-year-old Saluki called Pearl. She adopted Pearl two-and-a-half years ago from the BSPCA and later on adopted another Saluki from the shelter, two-year-old Maximus.
Mrs Clarke walked 11-year-old Baloo, a rescue chocolate Labrador retriever, who has charmed his way into the hearts of some of the kingdom’s special needs kids. Baloo was adopted from the Delmon Boarding Kennels eight-and-a-half years ago.
Mrs Clarke, who volunteers at the RIA Centre for Children with Special Needs in Adliya, developed a programme for Baloo about 18 months ago called Baloo’s Buddies to work as a therapy dog mainly with autistic children.
Baloo works in 15-minute intervals for up to two-hours at the school, with one-to-one sessions and in small groups. They play simple games together outside which have both educational and health benefits.
Baloo helps the children become more confident through activities such as picking up things and putting them in a basket. His efforts also help relieve stress the children suffer, according to experts.
Mrs Clarke said: “The idea was to enrich the children’s lives while at the same time teaching them new skills and helping them to develop social skills. We have seen positive changes in some of the children that work with him and we now plan to expand the programme.
“We do mirroring activities to build skills, for example, hair brushing, sitting still and following basic instructions. We also teach the children how to care for Baloo as many have never even had the chance to pat a dog.
“We have designed a ‘Baloo is in the Building’ poster which we put up outside the main entrance of the school so that anyone coming into the building knows he is there – we don’t want anyone to be surprised or frightened.
“Baloo is always on his best behaviour, of course! Everyone – teachers, parents and children – love him and look forward to him coming each week. And, he always makes an appearance at RIA’s annual show in a festive outfit – this year he wore baubles!”
For last weekend’s dog walk, Baloo wore a Mila-knitted hat made by the Rescue Saluki Middle East (RSME) organisation and his ‘I’m your Buddy’ jacket. Pearl also showed off her Mila-knitted jacket given to her by her auntie Mrs Clarke.
Mrs Womer added: “Sarah and I love taking part in this event because it’s fun. It gives our dogs the opportunity to socialise with other dogs, help the BSPCA to raise more money and also increases awareness about how wonderful rescue dogs can be!”
Good friends, Pearl and Baloo, had a tough life before they were adopted. Pearl was at the BSCPA shelter for almost three years and Baloo was grossly overweight and unloved as a failed sniffer dog.
Since they became family pets, the transformation in both dogs has been remarkable.
Mrs Clarke, who also adopted Duba, a German shepherd, and a Saluki-cross called Monty, said: “There are many dogs at the BSPCA and elsewhere in Bahrain which, with a little training and a lot of love, can become wonderful family pets.
“If you’re looking to adopt a dog, ask lots of questions, do your research, seek advice and take a look at a shelter or rescue dog – we’re sure you’ll be glad you did!”
The shelter’s mutt Violet, for example, finally found her ‘forever home’ thanks to the dog walk. Four-and-a-half year old Violet went on the walk with supporter Sophie Martin who felt an immediate ‘connection’ with her. Sophie immediately adopted her and Violet will be joining her two cats at her home in Bahrain.
Mrs Cunningham said: “One highlight of the day was the adoption of Violet which was wonderful news. She has been with us at the shelter since 2012 and has long wanted to be with a ‘forever family’.
“Violet was always overlooked and became part of the background for such a long time. She was always there and loved by our shelter staff members who say she caused no trouble at all. Thank you, Sophie, for making one of our dogs, and all of us, very happy.
“This year we were also overwhelmed by the response of volunteers from the US Naval Base and were very grateful for their services. All of them did a sterling job overseeing the car parking, running the BBQ and helping out with the registration desk.
“The team manning the hot dog BBQ also did an admirable job keeping pace with the demand for a late breakfast snack or an early lunch.
“Coca Cola kindly provided free bottles of water for the participants and all the volunteers were presented with a can of Coke personalised with their name.”
A ‘thank you’ also went out to the BSPCA members who were working hard with the flow of dogs coming in and out, including chief executive officer Paul Duke, fundraising co-ordinator Michelle Page, press officer Ghazi Almoayyed, receptionist Ansar Ahmed and the kennel staff led by Santosh.
After completing the walk, participants enjoyed a variety of dog-related stalls including the BSPCA craft stand manned by Cheryl Nielson, dog biscuits sold by Wags N Licks, Saar Kennels, the BookCase, Nicole’s Mediterranean Restaurant selling ice-cream and cones, Verminex pest controllers and Maza tea.
For details on other BSPCA events, visit www.bspca.org or email bspca@batelco.com.bh
