Inaugural “Paws Cause” Is HUGE Hit at 2014 AQHYA World Show- 22 Dogs Adopted and Counting!
The Brown family poses with friend and volunteer Cori Cansdale and the newest addition to their family, Dallas!
By: Brittany Bevis
If you didn’t have the chance to visit Oklahoma City for the 2014 AQHYA World Show over the weekend, you missed a truly heartwarming event. Yesterday marked the inaugural “Paws Cause” Dog Rescue and Adoption Opportunity, an ingenious program spearheaded by horse show judge and The Horse Source owner, Ruth Ellen.
Seven rescue organizations located in and around Oklahoma City decided to participate and brought some 80 shelter dogs to the show grounds. With quite a bit of help from 20 enthusiastic horse show kid volunteers, 22 dogs were adopted yesterday and the adoption process is in the works for at least four more. Ellen was so overcome by the warm reception and participation shown by the horse show crowd that she was nearly brought to tears.
Just a few of The Paws Cause volunteers! Photo courtesy of Ruth Ellen.
“It makes me cry,” she says. “I didn’t know what would happen. I’ve never done this before. I recruited horse show kids and Robin Alden [AQHA Youth Director] got some kids. There were at least 20 kids that showed up this morning. They were awesome. Most of the shelters are volunteer organizations, so they were concerned about having enough volunteers. I told them to just bring the dogs and I would have the volunteers. I told them not to be put off because they were kids. These are kids who ride horses; they know about dogs.”
Volunteers like Cori Cansdale, Tate Briggs, and Trent Searles donned blue aprons identifying them as official volunteers while the dogs were adorned with matching neck scarfs. Kids helped throughout the day by talking the dogs for walks, bathroom breaks, and participating in some much needed cuddle time.
“I wanted to help walk them because they’re from shelters, and I feel bad that they have to be in kennels,” Cansdale says. “I wanted to help out since they have been through hard times in their lives.”
Cansdale became particularly attached to a 3 1/2 month old Black Lab-Australian Shepherd cross named Dallas. Thankfully, Cansdale’s good friend and traveling buddy, Taylor Brown, decided to adopt the puppy. The trio will be headed back home to California at the conclusion of the Youth World Show. Another volunteer, Tate Briggs, decided to take home Dallas’s brother, Jesse. They will be headed to Texas in a few days.
“We’re driving home together, so I get to hang out with him for four days,” Cansdale says. “My trainer [Kellie Hinely] is the one who brought me over here to look at the dogs. Our assistant trainer also got a dog named Ruffles for our barn.”
Those who chose to adopt dogs did have to go through a brief screening process in order to ensure the match would be a good fit.
“I didn’t [think I would leave the Youth World with a puppy,]” Brown says. “We know Ruth Ellen through horse sales, and she told our whole barn to come over. Me and my mom found this puppy and loved him. I think this is a very good idea, because, if you know horse people, they’re obviously going to take care of their animals. These dogs do need good homes to go home to. They are very loving animals to have around the house and become part of the family.”
“We had to answer questions about where we live, what type of property it is, and if it’s gated. They want to make sure the dog is going to be safe. They tell you how to take care of the dog, and they give you wormer right before you leave to make sure the dog is healthy. They tell you everything about the dog, like how old the dog is, what breed it is, and anything else you want to know.”
The next Paws Cause will take place over three weekends at the Reichert Celebration in Fort Worth, Texas in August. Remember, the success of The Paws Cause depends entirely on participation from our horse show friends. You can help out by either volunteering for the event, contacting local rescue groups, or simply spreading the word by sharing this article.
