Adopting dogs from a shelter is a fantastic way to gain adorable friends and give animals a loving home. For a group of Dublin students, adopting their dogs was only the first step in making a difference for shelter animals.
Olivia McCoy and Sydney Smith, both freshman, and Olivia’s sister Annabelle, a sixth grader, created the fundraiser, Dog-A-Thon, in 2020, after adopting their dogs. Since both dogs were adopted from local shelters, they organized an annual fundraiser to give back to the places where they adopted their furry friends.
Dog days
Olivia McCoy and Sydney Smith
The girls met when the McCoy family moved to the same street as the Smith family. The Smith family delivered a welcome basket to the McCoy’s doorstep and the girls have been friends ever since.
Originally held in the summer, Dog-A-Thon is an event for dogs and owners alike to meet, donate money, food and toys, and purchase raffle tickets to win a basket of dog toys and homemade dog treats.
Now scheduled in Autumn, the girls’ favorite aspect of the fundraiser is seeing canines showing Halloween spirit in hopes of winning tasty snacks.
“So, last year we had some dogs dressed up in costumes and we had a costume contest: Most Creative, Cutest and Funniest,” Olivia says. “They all won some sort of prize, like a bag of dog treats or a basket of little toys.”
Furry funds
Giving back to their dogs’ old homes was the first motivator, but through the years they have found more reasons to continue the event.
“We wanted to also bring people together that all had something in common because a lot of people we know either have dogs or shelter dogs,” Syndey says.
The fundraising goal for this year's Dog-A-Thon was $1,700, which was surpassed thanks to the more than 40 attendees and online donations. More than $2,500 was raised during the Oct. 20 event.
“I think this is the most we've raised out of the now four years that we’ve done it, and probably one of the better attended (events),” Sydney says.
The girls say the shelters tend to use donations for supplies, vet bills and anything else needed to ensure the dogs are treated properly while living there.
Sydney, Olivia and Annabelle plan to increase their fundraising goal each year in hopes of transforming Dog-A-Thon into a larger entity.
“We want to try and make it a non-profit soon to try and really make it our own charity so it can be official,” Sydney says. “Someday we’re going to go off to college while Annabelle is going to be here. She’s not going to do it alone, so we want to continue this for sure,” Olivia added.
Woof wishes
No matter how big Dog-A-Thon gets or how many fundraising events the group hosts, the girls’ priority will always be to connect loving people to loving shelter dogs.
“We want every dog to be adopted. Dogs also have feelings so it’s sad that some get adopted, and then some are just left there for their whole lives,” Annabelle says. “They don’t know what it’s like to feel loved.
“Being able to look back and say, ‘We made a difference in many dogs’ lives,’ and hopefully gave them a better life that maybe the dogs didn’t have in the beginning.”
Wil Steigerwald is an editorial assistant at CityScene Media Group. Feedback welcome at feedback@cityscenemediagroup.com.
