ML’s Humane Society president participates in shelter sleepover

The president of the Meadow Lake and District Humane Society (MLDHS) is sleeping in the doghouse…but for a good cause. 

Jillian Doucet spent the first of what she hopes are only a few nights at the shelter among adoptable canine and feline friends. She’ll be staying at the shelter until the fundraising goal of $5,000 is met. All the money raised will go towards various operational costs like food, shelter and medical care.

Doucet came up with the idea for the ‘Extreme Sleepover: Shelter Edition’ a few years back, and 2017 marks the fifth rendition of the event. The original intent behind the fundraiser was to raise money for Meadow Lake’s Dog Park, which opened in 2015. Since its inception, over $32,000 has been raised for the organization.

The support from the community, according to Doucet, has been positive over the last few years.

“It’s exciting when the donations come in, and it’s only a few nights of little to no sleep, but it’s for a great cause so I really don’t mind doing it,” she said. “It gets more and more support every year, and [we’re] so thankful for that.”

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A great deal of the event’s success has come from the organization’s strong following on social media. Doucet blogs about her nightly adventures, featuring videos and photos from the adventures each night at the shelter.

“A lot of people say that they want me to stay in here a little longer because they enjoy the funny blog posts, and a little bit of the “suffering” that I endure,” she said. “All-in-all it’s a really fun and successful fundraiser for our shelter.”

Each night, she picks a different furry friend to bunk with, which also gives the animals a bit of socializing other than the volunteers who clean the shelter daily.

“It gives that animal a taste of a home life a bit, spending that quality time with a person,” Doucet added.

Aside from the first year, the sleepovers have taken place during the holiday season, as the organization typically receives more strays in colder months. The shelter is currently at capacity for both dogs and cats.

“It also brings a lot of attention to how much space we have at the shelter, so people can realize how quickly we can fill up again.”

Details on how to donate to the cause are available at the end of each blog post on MLDHS’s Paws n’ Claws blog.

kathy.gallant@jpbg.ca  

On Twitter @ReporterKath