Up and Coming Weekly is a weekly publication in Fayetteville, NC and Fort Bragg, NC area offering local news, views, arts, entertainment and community event and business information.
Issue link: https://www.epageflip.net/i/674818
MAY 4-10, 2016 UCW 5 WWW.UPANDCOMINGWEEKLY.COM Humorist Celia R ivenbark published a column recent ly recount ing her experience judging a f undraising dog show, complete w it h dogg y cost umes. It t urns out, t hough, t hat Celia prefers cat s. She found herself wondering how much " designer cat food it would t ake for a cat, any cat, to put up w it h t his sor t of t hing." Not me! Despite several hardcore, cat-promot ing relat ives, whose "gif t s" f rom t heir k it t ies tot ally f reak me out, I remain a dog lady t hrough and t hrough and a dog lady delighted to judge t he Fayet tev ille Animal Protect ion Societ y 's dog show for t he second year in a row. FAPS— t he ver y acrony m conjures up f lappy ears and wagging t ails—is our communit y 's no-k ill shelter for homeless animals, promot ing adopt ion and responsible pet ow nership. FAPS is completely f unded w it h private dollars. So, on a lovely Sunday af ternoon last mont h dog lovers and t he objec t s of t heir af fect ions gat hered on t he lush green grass of Herit age Square in dow ntow n Fayet tev ille for "Put t in' On t he Dog." Contest ant s were most ly rescue dogs, many adopted f rom FAPS. Categories included "Gorgeous Girls," "Handsome Guys," "Ow ner Look- A like," and "Best in Show." Judging was excruciat ing , but somehow we f ive judges managed. Food t ruck s and baked goods helped ease our dist ress. W hat came t hrough clearly at "Put t in' On t he Dog " is t hat t he folk s who made t he ef for t to get dow ntow n during t he Dog wood Fest ival, who paid $5 to enter t heir dogs in t he contest, and who in many cases dressed up t heir beloved pet s and t hemselves for t he occasion adore t heir dogs and v ice versa. Nar y a dog f ight occurred, but plent y of hugging , k issing , and lick ing did—a t reat for all to see. Sadly, not ever yone is so lov ing , and FAPS, which has been around for more t han t hree decades, can tell stories t hat w ill break your hear t about abandoned and mist reated animals. FAPS accommodates 60 dogs and 25 cat s at a t ime at it s shelter of f Bragg Boulevard, and t housands of t hem have found lifet ime homes over t he years. But FAPS can do only so much, and about 8000 animals are eut hanized in Cumberland Count y ever y year. A s one devoted FAPS volunteer put s it, " We t r y to rescue all we can f rom t hem, but t hat 's a BIG number!" My ow n "Gorgeous Girl," Lilly t he Lab, and I have been a team for 11 years now, and she and all her predecessors f rom t he t ime I was a preschooler have enriched my life beyond measure. They have also eaten my shoes and done unspeakable t hings to my rugs, smiling and wagging all along. Even when t he desire is t here, not all of us are in posit ions to adopt a lifet ime pet, but t hat does not mean we cannot help. FAPS could not do t he work it does w it hout volunteers who donate t ime, t alent, and t reasure. FAPS's needs for food, toys, collars, leashes, and ot her pet supplies are ongoing , as are folk s to get dogs out for a lit t le exercise. Lilly and I recent ly took a pile of old towels to FAPS, ones we no longer used at home but which would be just f ine for dr y ing wet crit ters. Cash donat ions are always appropriate, of course, as is t hat ult imate gif t t hat, a lov ing and permanent home for an animal who needs and deser ves one. I promise you w ill get more f rom a FAPS adoptee t han you w ill ever prov ide, and here are some pict ures f rom "Put t in' On t he Dog " to prove it . Enjoy! Somehow, I t hink even Celia would, too. And They Call It Puppy Love by MARGARET DICKSON OPINION MARGARET DICKSON. Columnist. COMMENTS? Editor@upandcomin- gweekly.com. 910.484.6200. He gave us moms...Thank you.