Central Plaza was packed with attendees of Lakeshore Paws’ Pup Crawl on Saturday night. There were around ten dogs from the organization, but attendees also brought their dogs. The event featured live music, vendors, and an opportunity to hold puppies for one dollar. Lakeshore Paws was founded in 2011 by Jeanne Sommer.
“This is always our biggest event of the year, and also our most well-attended,” said Sommer. “We love putting this on each year because we’re able to help save dog’s lives while giving them a voice.”
Sommer also works as a broker for Century 21 Alliance Group which was a sponsor of the event.
“We figured that if we could find people homes, then we could find dogs homes,” said Sommer. “It is just a passion of ours. It is so exciting to see a dog get a second chance.”
Lakeshore Paws started Century 21 Alliance’s real estate office for a couple of years before moving into a separate facility. In total since its founding in 2011, Lakeshore Paws has gotten 7,500 dogs adopted.
As its biggest event of the year, the Pup Crawl makes it possible for Lakeshore Paws to make sure each of its dogs are always well taken care of and in good health.
“It allows us to take dogs that have medical problems and treat them,” said Jennifer Weeks, volunteer raffle basket coordinator for Lakeshore Paws. “This way we don't have a situation where we have to say no to a dog that needs medical attention. Without this, we couldn't do what we do.”
Volunteering is a great way for dog lovers and people who can not have dogs to help the cause.
“If you have time, we take volunteers where you can do anything from walking dogs at the center to doing events like this,” said Weeks. “Also for people who are retired that say they want to travel a lot. Fostering is perfect because while they do not have a lot of time for a dog, they can foster it with either the dog getting adopted before the trip or they can have another foster watch their dog while they're away.”
Some volunteers like Weeks, have been volunteering with the Lakeshore Paws for a long time.
“My husband Ken and I have been volunteers here at LakeShore Paws since 2014," said Pam Snow. “We started out as volunteers for dog walkers and we just fell in love with doing it. We have become more involved with things we've done. We do things with youth groups, and Ken has done things with dog adoptions. We just help out in any way we can.”
Lakeshore Paws has been doing the Pup Crawl since 2012 with the help of countless volunteers like Snow and Weeks. In addition to raising money for the organization, the Pup Crawl has a goal of helping homeless dogs find a home.
“When you're adopting a dog, think of rescuing one before you go to the pet store," said Sommer. “There's a lot of great dogs out there that need homes, and you just need to give them a chance.”
For more information about Lakeshore Paws and their adoptable dogs, go to their website at https://lakeshorepaws.org/.