By Angela Brown

All the animals

BTEC gift aims to support home for the animals

Feb 15, 2019 | 5:07 PM

The Battlefords Humane Society now has $17,250 toward its new building after a hefty cheque was donated by BTEC on Friday.

Battlefords Trade & Education Centre Inc. recently held a Mardi Gras-style fundraiser on Feb. 9 which garnered $35,000. After half of the amount was donated to the shelter, the remainder will go towards BTECS programming for its seventh annual fundraiser.

Executive Director Mona Leece said the event which raised $14,000 more than last year included a dinner, dance and silent and live auction.

“The community supported us tremendously again,” she said. “They always step up.”

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“This year we wanted to rally help out with Battlefords Humans Society,” she added. “We come here and volunteer and walk their dogs, and we know the need for the new building. As you can look around, they really need a new building. We wanted to support them because the community of the Battlefords has supported us in getting our new building. ”

Michelle Spark, the manager and executive director of the Battlefords Humane Society, said the donation was “much more than we thought we were going to get.”

“We’re honoured that they chose us to be the charity to donate to,” she added. “We’re really happy with the results.”

She said part of the funds received will go toward the building fund and the rest will go towards operational expenses for the existing site in the meantime.

Members of the Humane Society, located on 114 St., are still in the planning stages of the new building. They’re working out a contract to obtain land from the city.

“Until those are done we don’t really have a timeline,” she said.

The current space is inadequate for the Humane Society and lacks the proper ventilation as well as enough room for all the dogs and cats in the shelter.

The shelter currently has 82 cats and 37 dogs waiting to be adopted. The number of cats is actually over capacity currently.

“The space is definitely too small,” Spark said. “We would hope to start building by the fall of 2019 or the spring of 2020.”

The building is projected to cost roughly $2.6 million. One section will be reserved as a boarding facility with another part to be the humane society shelter.

The Battlefords Humane Society will host its own annual fundraiser with a dinner and auction on April 27. Tickets are currently available at the shelter. The theme this year is “A Dog’s Purpose.”

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angela.brown@jpbg.ca

On Twitter: @battlefordsnow