For the dogs trying to strut their stuff at the Mae Bachur Animal Shelter, the last few years have been tough.
They’ve had to go to the dog yard — a moonscaped exercise area with giant pits, slopes and a tendency to ice over.
It’s a difficult place for little paws to navigate.
It has not been a pleasant affair, nor has it been easy to fix, said shelter treasurer Sarah Steinberg.
“The yard is in the back where they play — we rotate them out three or four times a day.
“That yard is really decrepit.”
Even with the help of the city, which filled in the largest of the giant holes, the pooches and poochettes still have to navigate their way through the dog yard to do their business.
But doing that business is about to get easier.
With the help of the Lake Laberge Lions’ Club, the shelter is going to get a better yard for their guests, said Steinberg.
The Laberge Lions have recently made a commitment to donate $12,000 to help redo the yard.
“That’s what got passed at a meeting about a week ago,” said Bob Downey, a director with the club.
“I like to think that Lions’ club members are there to help people who can’t help themselves.
“And, in this instance, it’s animals that can’t help themselves.”
The club decided to donate the money to the animal shelter after searching for a worthy cause over the last little while, said Downey.
And in this case, a worthy cause came in a furry package.
“Over the last couple of years we’ve been doing our fundraisers, we haven’t had any big projects come to us,” he said.
“So, we have money in the bank and a Lions’ club shouldn’t have money in the bank.
“We go out and raise it from the public and we should be putting it back out there somewhere.”
A refurbished dog yard was one of the big-ticket items on the shelter’s wish list, said Steinberg.
Also needed to comfort animals living at the shelter are towels, blankets, environmentally friendly cat litter, leashes, and volunteers for the shelter’s weekly Bingo games.
Cash is also a nice way for animal lovers to tell the shelter they care, added Steinberg.