The final Taste of Summer Charity BBQ in Estevan for the year ended on yet another community organization getting a helping hand. During the day, lunch was sold to support the Estevan Humane Society, with the lunch taking place just outside of Sunset Embroidery.
$1,920 was raised for the Humane Society for the lunch, and the president of the Board of Directors, Tayja Lakusta, says they had plenty of support in Estevan.
"Community support was good. We ran out of food, and people were coming down just to donate and buy Duck Derby tickets, too. Great that we were thought of, and here to celebrate Sunset on their 20th anniversary."
With a good amount of money raised for their various costs, Lakust says seeing this support for the Humane Society is great to see.
"Sometimes you get ebb and flow with the public support and all that, but we try to help as best we can in many different fields, and not just adoptions, but it's great to see that people are still supporting us, they wanna see us here, and continue on helping us do the work that we do."
While Lakusta says they've heard that adoption fees are expensive at the Humane Society, she explains just how much they need to be paid for.
"We offer age-appropriate vaccines with the adoption fee, and they're spayed and neutered. So, we are adamant about trying to decrease the pet population, and one of those avenues that we don't really like to stray from is having our pets fixed, either before they leave us or when they become age-appropriate if they're too young at the time of adoption. So, that's one thing we cover, and I will be a fighter in covering that for the foreseeable future."
"We don't make money off animals. They're really just more of a fail-safe of not giving away free animals. Like, we still have adoption policies in place, but it's just one of those things where it helps recoup some of the cost to help the next animal that comes in through our doors."
While there's currently not an intake freeze in place for the Humane Society, they're still hoping to limit taking in animals.
"We're never not kind of hesitant about taking new animals. Right now, with it being kitten season, our cat population has skyrocketed, so we've got kind of a very hard approval process for that right now for intaking new animals. We kind of focus on the more needy, neonate, injured type of cats right now, just because of our numbers and our adoption rates are down over the summer."
They're in a similar space with dogs as well.
Lakusta also talked about their longtime partnership with Sunset Embroidery and how they've been willing to help out the Humane Society.
"They've always been here to support us. They do our clothing for us most of the time. They're selling Duck Derby tickets for us, and anything we reach out to, they're game to help us with. So, great community supporter to have, and we are glad that they are willing to help us at any time."
Now, with their Duck Derby upcoming, Lakusta says that the Humane Society is getting ready for one of their biggest fundraisers.
"Normally, up to 4,000 rubber ducks get dumped into the river down at Woodlawn Dog Park. They dump in the river, and the first one to touch the finish line is the lucky duck that's gonna win up to $15,000, but it's not just for the ducks. We kind of make it a day event."
"Weatherford will be coming in and doing the food for us again, like last year. Hamburgers, hot dogs, they did amazing last year. I foresee it doing the same this year. We've got the ice cream, A Cherry On Top, I believe they're coming. Bounty Castle should be coming, and we're planning on having the family center down doing like little stations again, like last year too."
Lakusta thanked the community for all the support they've given the Humane Society over the years, and encouraged anyone wanting to volunteer or adopt an animal to get in touch with the Humane Society.