Walk for Animals to benefit the Martha’s Vineyard Animal Shelter

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— Photo by Ralph Stewart

Since the MSPCA closed in 2009, the Animal Shelter of Martha’s Vineyard has taken over as a home for animals in need of rescue. The shelter will hold a fundraiser, Walk for Animals, on October 6, from 10 am to 2 pm.

The walk will begin at the Oak Bluffs Elementary School and continue through the Trade Winds Preserve (the Oak Bluffs dog park) off County Road. Anyone who would like to participate can find registration forms at the shelter and at all Island veterinary offices, and then seek sponsorships to benefit the shelter, with pledges for the full walk rather than each mile.

“It is a dog walk, but if you want to walk a cat or a bunny or a horse, that’s fine too,” said Duncan Ross, chairman of the shelter directors. A pet is not required; participants can walk solo, to enjoy the fresh air and support the shelter.

Since January 1 of this year, the animal shelter has owned the old Edgartown MSPCA building, which had recently been the property of Dukes County. The shelter is funded entirely by grants and donations. The money raised in the walk will be used for daily operations and new heating and cooling systems, Mr. Ross said.

Registration and money collection will take place on October 5, from 2 to 4 pm at the shelter, on the Edgartown/Vineyard Haven Road in Edgartown, and on the day of the walk, from 9 am to 1:30 pm, at the Oak Bluffs School. It is not a race and will likely not take the full four hours, so pets and their walkers may begin at any time. Water and bags for pet clean-up will be distributed onsite.

Mr. Ross said, “Hopefully, it will be a nice day, people will have fun, and animals will enjoy camaraderie with each other.”

The rain date is October 8.

Call 508-627-8662 to learn more.