Walk to new shelter is a tale of success

PONDERAY - Tails were wagging and noses twitching as 40 dogs made their way Sunday from near their old home on Great Northern Road in Sandpoint to Panhandle Animal Shelter's new home in Ponderay.

The day was a tremendous success, with only minor chaos reported as the excited puppies and several hundred volunteers made their way from Sandpoint to Ponderay, said PAS board member Diana Dawson.

"There was great support by the community," Dawson said. "The whole day was pretty thrilling."

In addition to a successful walk, there were "quite a few" adoptions of both dogs and cats, which were transported to the shelter Saturday.

"I think this is the beginning of a lot of good stuff for the shelter," said Dawson.

With 100 kennels and puppy pens, six major cat rooms and a state-of-the-art sanitation system, the 27,000-square-foot shelter will offer animals a more comfortable, happier living environment, Dawson said.

Both the property and building expenses for the shelter were donated by the Wild Rose Foundation, and Dawson was quick to praise the organization for its generosity.

"We're so thankful for the Wild Rose Foundation because this was started when the economy was rip-roaring great and the fact that they honored their commitment and completed it when things turned a little bad is just a great comment to them," Dawson said.

Longtime PAS volunteer Hannah Schechter said she was happy to take part even though she wasn't picked to walk one of the dogs.

"I think this is awesome," Schechter said of the walk.

Schechter said she began volunteering at the animal shelter several years ago because she loves dogs but is unable to adopt one of her own. Walking the dogs on her days off gives her a chance to help the dogs and enjoy their companionship, she added.

"I don't have a dog of my own so (volunteering) gives me a chance to get my dog fix," Schechter said.

Fourteen-year volunteer Karen Hertel said her involvement goes back more than a decade, proudly displaying her sweatshirt with the animal shelter's logo emblazoned on the front.

"The dogs came before kids," she said with a smile, trotting to keep up with an energetic "Isis," the dog she'd picked to walk Sunday.

Once her sons, Kristopher, 8, and Kyle, 10, came along, they soon joined their mom and dad, Keith, as PAS volunteers.

When Lynne Anderson learned she'd been picked, she was ecstatic - especially when she learned walkers outnumbered the dogs by at least four-to-one.

"I would have come anyway," she said.

That was also the case with Arlene Dardine and her friend Jean Plue.

"I wanted to show my support and this seemed fun," Dardine said. "Besides Jean needs a dog."

"Yeah," Plue chimed in with a smile. "I'm shopping."

Staff writer Conor Christofferson contributed to this story.