Chartiers Township shelter celebrates Dogust 1st ‘birthdays’
Vito celebrates his Dogust 1st "birthday" at Angel Ridge Animal Rescue in Chartiers Township.
Say hello to Hazel, who has been adopted since Dogust 1st.
Christine Denk helps celebrate Dogust 1st.
Susan Hudock pets Henry.
A group of volunteers celebrated "Dogust 1" at Angel Ridge Animal Rescue in Chartiers Township.
Toby has been adopted as a friend of the family for Liberty, right.
Kathy Morrow puts a party hat on Ringo.
Pepe is another "Birthday Boy."
Angela Moore holds Moxie.
Axel licks his lips after enjoying his "birthday" treat.
Harry Funk/The Almanac
Tulsa received a biscuit-topped cupcake from Terri Gillsepsie, as Kathy Morrow and Nelio Colangelo watch.
Ella plays with her "birthday" present, a toy snake.
Ziggy eyes up his cupcake.
It's party time for Tulsa on Dogust 1st at Angel Ridge Animal Rescue in Chartiers Township.
The dogs at Angel Ridge Animal Rescue had no clue about why they had party hats put on their heads, but they certainly enjoyed opening their presents.
On Sunday, well-wishers gathered at the Chartiers Township shelter to celebrate Dogust 1st, a national initiative that symbolizes the “birthday” for canines with no official records in place.
Angel Ridge volunteer Christina Gillespie heard about the special day from a friend in New Jersey who was organizing a fundraiser to mark the occasion, and the Carnegie resident brought the idea west.
“I hope to get the word out about the dogs in the shelter, so that they hopefully find future forever homes,” Gillespie said.
She and fellow volunteer Christine Denk of Scott Township quickly organized the Angel Ridge event, which featured treats and toys for each of the dogs currently housed at the shelter.
Denk happened to have plenty of pooch-themed decorations on hand to help make for a festive atmosphere.
“I have two rescue dogs at home. They’re both bull terriers, and one of them had been a failed adoption several times,” she said. “So we felt like it would be nice to welcome him home knowing that we were going to keep him and that he wasn’t going to have to go back to a shelter again. We probably had about 20 people at the house, and had cake and partied.”
At Angel Ridge, the dogs were served cupcakes topped with biscuits, in addition to receiving presents donated in the memory of volunteer Alicia Drosendahl, who passed away in June.
Dogust 1st was started in 2008 by Long Island-based North Shore Animal League America, the world’s largest no-kill animal rescue and adoption organization, with the intention of promoting the adoption and acceptance of shelter dogs.
“We’re just trying to get more people to consider rescue dogs,” said volunteer Faye Klein, a Peters Township resident.
“They can come out here and see a number of different dogs. Even though they may have an idea of the dog they want, they often find out that we have a better match.”
She and her husband, Leo Kennedy, have helped bring financial support to Angel Ridge through their participation in the annual “Love Stories” essay contest offered by Petco Love, formerly the Petco Foundation. In 2013, Klein’s story brought $5,000 to Angel Ridge, and Kennedy’s submissions in 2016 and 2020 netted a total of $75,000.
As such, they encourage others to write about their experiences with pets in hopes of raising more money. This year’s competition has a Sept. 20 deadline, and more information is available at petcofoundation.org/lovestories.
Klein, a designer by profession who has volunteered at Angel Ridge for nearly a decade, also has sold her line of Real Life Rescue Greeting Cards for All Occasions for the shelter’s benefit.
“I never even knew I was a dog person until I met my husband, because I never had a dog, growing up,” she said. “All of a sudden, it was just amazing, the connection that I had.”
Regarding her volunteerism, Denk acknowledged, “It’s always about the dogs.” She also credits Angel Ridge’s rural, off-the-beaten-path location as holding particular appeal.
“Being here is so serene. It’s a gorgeous place, so it’s good for the mind, body and soul,” she added. “So you’re helping dogs, but I think this helps a lot of people, too.”
As of Dogust 1st, Angel Ridge was near capacity in accommodating dogs.
“During the pandemic, we couldn’t keep a dog here for more than maybe a week or two,” Denk said. “And then as people are going back to normal life, things have changed a little bit.”
The dogs are housed in a climate-controlled building – cats have their own Angel Ridge residence – featuring spacious individual caged areas, and plenty of attention is paid regarding their placement.
“They’re situated based on how they do with dogs walking through. That’s the reason why you see shower curtains here. This prevents the nose-to-nose contact when you’re walking by,” she said. “We have what are considered siblings across from each other right now, so they get to see each other, too, which is comforting.”
Angel Ridge depends solely on folks donating their time for the sake of their four-legged friends.
“There are always opportunities for volunteers, and weekdays are the greatest need,” Denk said. “When there aren’t a lot of dogs, it’s not so difficult. But when you have this many dogs, you need a lot of people so they can spend quality time with the dogs.”
For her, and everyone else involved, ensuring the canines’ quality of life is the ultimate goal.
“These dogs all get a chance to go somewhere,” she said. “And if not, they get all the help they need.”
For more information, visit angelridgeanimalrescue.org.