Karlee Mazuren in the 2025 Meadow Lake and District Humane Society jailbreak fundraiser. (MeadowLakeandDistrictHumaneSociety/Facebook)

By Alyssa Rudolph

jailbreaker

Unique fundraiser leads to $6,000 for Meadow Lake Humane Society

Dec 9, 2025 | 5:21 PM

“The dogs go in and out, they play, they bark, they howl, I didn’t sleep,” said Karlee Mazuren after completing this year’s jailbreak fundraiser.

Last week, Meadow Lake and District Humane Society hosted their annual fundraiser, hoping to raise $3,000. To the shelters’ surprise, they surpassed their goal on the first night and raised $6,070 for the animal’s medical expenses.

Board member Mazuren volunteered to spend as many nights in the shelter as needed until the goal was reached.

“Each year I go in with no expectations, because then I would just be disappointed, I feel like. So, I just kind of go in hoping that I only have to spend a night or two. The longest I’ve had to spend in the shelter was four nights,” she said.

Every year the shelter decides what the money raised will go towards. In previous years, the shelter has purchased a new van, supplies, and bedding for animals. This year the money went towards animal medical expenses.

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“We lost a vet clinic and that put a lot of stress on us because it was our main vet that we used. We had to start using Turtleford Vet and North Battleford; and it is a lot more expensive than our local vets,” Mazuren said.

The money raised helped to fund three separate medical emergencies at the shelter and the entirety of one dog’s surgery. Kilo, the big-hearted Mastiff, required extensive spinal surgery after being hit by a vehicle and left to suffer for many days. However, since his surgery, he has been on a trial adoption with a loving family.

Kilo, the dog who required extensive spinal surgery. (MeadowLakeandDistrictHumaneSociety/Facebook)

Mazuren added that this year’s overnight stay in the shelter was very cold and uncomfortable due to a strong wind draft from the dog doors.

“I slept on the cement floor this year with dog blankets, and I had a dog that I chose to cuddle with me, her name was Koa. She was a shelter dog, so that was a little bit of extra warmth,” she said.

Outside of the Humane Society, Mazuren is a teacher. She said the day after her night in the shelter was exhausting.

“I think I probably had an hour of uninterrupted sleep. Going to work the next day was not easy, but it was cute, I teach Grade 6 in the morning, and I showed them my recap, and they were so excited and said, ‘we’ll do it for free,” Mazuren said.

The volunteer hopes her students will eventually take over her role in the fundraiser, so she will no longer have to sleep on the cold cement, but until then she is happy to raise money for the animals in the shelter.

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alyssa.rudolph@pattisonmedia.com