Dogs invaded the Bangor waterfront Saturday. There were big ones, teeny tiny ones and ones every size in between. There were shaggy dogs, shaved dogs, coiffed dogs and dogs au natural.
Some wore tutus, others sported grass skirts. One donned a scorpion costume while another was dressed to match the unicorn girls that accompanied her.
It was may have looked strange to first-time participants, but for the Bangor Humane Society, it marked the silver anniversary of the shelter’s biggest annual fundraising event: Paws on Parade.
It started 25 years ago with a goal of raising $10,000 for the Bangor Humane Society, according to Stacey Coventry, director of development and public relations. Last year, the event raised nearly $80,000.
For the silver anniversary, the board of directors decided to challenge itself and the community and set a goal of $100,000. On Saturday morning, about $86,000 toward that goal had been raised.
Saturday’s event drew an estimated 500 humans and 300 canines to the waterfront for a 2-mile walk to Bass Park and back. There were contests, vendors giving away doggie bandanas, people selling handmade collars and at least one photographer taking canine portraits.
Art and Pat Shaw of Levant may have had two of the largest dogs there — Great Pyrenees Lily, 11, and Odin, 5.
“Both are rescues from the Bangor Humane Society,” said Art Shaw, 71, who has volunteered at the shelter for about 20 years. “We’ve had her about two years and him about four. They were both in pretty rough shape when they came to us.”
The Shaws brought the dogs to the event to support the shelter but did not walk due to the older dog’s hip troubles.
Whitney Sinclair brought her 18-month-old black Labrador-mix dog Ellie Mae to the event. Ellie Mae and Sinclair’s nieces, Alexa Sinclair, 8, and Aubrey Sinclair, 4, all wore unicorn costumes.
“I got her from the Humane Society last year when she was still a puppy,” Sinclair, 28, of Glenburn said. “She was brought up from Mississippi. I got Ellie Mae the costume because the girls love unicorns.”
In 2017, the shelter took in 2,716 animals, including Ellie Mae, 91 percent of which survived to be adopted, the report said. The shelter last year averaged 207 animal adoptions per month.
Of those, 998 were surrendered or transferred cats and 871 were strays, the report said. As for dogs, 465 were surrendered or transferred and 235 were strays. Among other species, 55 were rabbits and 92 were other small animals.
About 40 percent of the shelter’s $1.2 million operating budget comes from adoption and service fees, according to Coventry. The remainder is raised primarily through donations. Paws on Parade is the shelter’s largest single fundraiser.
The cost of providing specialized medical care at the shelter is $94,248, according to the annual report. The average cost to care for one animal is $455.
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