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Skater champions dog adoptions
Self-proclaimed dog lover Kurt Browning toured the new Patti Dale Animal Shelter on Friday.
| Source: |
Langley Advance |
| Date: |
March 10, 2009 |
| Author: |
Roxanne Hooper |
World figure skating champion and self-proclaimed dog lover Kurt
Browning was on all fours, playing with a new pair of stray Kuvasz
puppies recently brought into the Patti Dale Animal Shelter.
Browning may be a celebrity, but there was no giant fanfare, nor any
pomp and circumstance surrounding his arrival in Langley Friday
afternoon.
For the second year in a row, Browning is the campaign spokesman for
Pedigree Adoption Drive, and he was on the last leg of an eight-day
cross-country tour of 26 shelters supported through the Pedigree
program.
The tour was also an opportunity for a massive media blitz aimed at
spreading awareness about the plight of shelter dogs.
His timing was perfect, said local shelter manager Sean Baker. He
walked Browning through the dilapidated, old, and
soon-to-be-demolished shelter before offering a guided tour of the new
LAPS facilities, which had been occupied for less than a week.
LAPS has partnered with Pedigree for the past year and a half, and as
such benefited from increased public awareness, as well as financial
support, Baker said. Last year alone, Pedigree contributed close to
$10,000 to the Aldergrove shelter.
"It's tremendous to have an organization of this magnitude, that has
supported us in past, and especially a celebrity representative as
well-known and respected as Kurt Browning, touring our new
facilities," Baker said. "We're honoured."
Wrapping up the hour-and-a-half long tour, Browning said he was
impressed by the new facilities, convinced the calibre of the Patti
Dale Animal Shelter would not only make life less stressful for the
animals in care but the people working with them.
He was also confident the shelter's visible profile and inviting new
atmosphere would help promote more adoptions.
"You're very proud, and you should be," Browning said. "Getting up and
going to work must be so different. It must feel like
Christmas."
A portion of sales from Pedigree products purchased go towards the
annual adoption drive. Last year, it raised $300,000, and the goal
this year is to raise $500,000. The funds are earmarked for
participating shelters, to cover the costs of vet care, vaccinations,
shelter and food.
It's about more than just the money, said Browning, who wanted to tour
participating shelters to see first hand what was happening, "press
the skin," and help spread word about the tremendous need for
adoptions.
"Raising money is great, but getting people to consider adopting a
shelter dog is really the most important thing," Browning
said.
"Getting involved in the Pedigree Adoption Drive program was a natural
fit for me as I've always had a dog in my life," he said.
"Dogs can have such a positive impact on your life and shelter dogs
rule," he added, noting he was looking forward to returning home to
Toronto, to his own eight-year-old Portuguese water dog Lea.
Every year, more than 45,000 dogs find themselves in animal shelters
across Canada. Sadly, for every deserving dog that finds a home, at
least one will be left behind.
Believing that every dog deserves a good home, Browning said he is
excited about being involved in the Pedigree campaign that helps
thousands of dogs find new families.
For more information on adopting shelter dogs in Langley, or to tour
the new shelter, visit the Patti Dale Animal Shelter at 26220 56th
Ave., or call 604-857-5055, or visit: www.lapsbc.ca.
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