By JO HARRISON
OUR furry friends were snug as a bug on a chilly Sunday morning in Armidale. Not so the two-legged variety with no fur to speak of who bravely weathered the chilly wind for the annual RSPCA Million Paws Walk.
A massive crowd of eager walkers and their pooches set off for the two-kilometre walk around Armidale to raise funds for the care of all creatures great and small in what has become the RSPCA’s biggest fund-raiser of the year.
Vice-president of the Armidale Branch of the RSPCA, Kitty Thomas, was optimistic that Sunday’s event was the biggest Million Paws Walk the Armidale Branch had hosted.
“I think it is fantastic to see the community come along every year to support the RSPCA,” she said.
“I would say it is bigger than last year, so we couldn’t be happier.”
The Armidale Branch of the RSPCA is run by over 100 volunteers and foster carers who care for pets in their own homes until a suitable new family is found. With no actual shelter this is a huge achievement for the Armidale Branch, who pride themselves on finding homes for all their pets in care.
“We do loads of events to raise money for our branch, including market stalls and of course the Million Paws Walk,” Kitty said.
“We do fantastically well at re-homing our animals. We find that our foster care program is a really good thing as opposed to having the animal in a shelter as the dogs and cats are often not happy in the shelter.”
RSPCA Armidale Branch hold an Adopt-a-Pet Day on the first Saturday of the month at Civic Park. Phone 0412217364 or visit www.rspcansw.org.au
