The Barks & Brews fundraiser event aimed to support Pet Posse was a big success according to event organizer Randy Perry, bringing in more than $5,100 to support the all-volunteer nonprofit organization.
About $4,500 was raised through donations and event sponsorships for the event at Sequim’s Peninsula Taproom, with the on-site BBQ and bake sale raising another $671, Perry said.
“As a dog owner, I really wanted to help support such a rare and worthy organization,” said Maggie Basset, who came up with the idea of Barks & Brews and worked alongside Perry to put the event together.
“They do so much for our community, but a lot of people don’t know who they are or how they do what they do. This event is helping put a face on Pet Posse and teach people more about them.”
Pet Posse is a Port Angeles-based nonprofit that not only helps reunite families with their lost pets, but have been adding more and more services to support the local community. They’ve added a veterinary transport to what they can offer people — a specially-converted SUV capable of safely transporting even the largest dog breeds, either in an emergency situation, or just to help out older or injured animal owners who aren’t in a physical position to transport their pets to a vet.
The transport has also been used to help rescue animals who have been hurt on the side of the road, taking them to a local veterinarian and then seeing Pet Posse turn to what’s been their primary mission: reuniting lost animals with their families.
“We’ve reunited 2,572 pets with their owners in the last four and a half years,” Shell’éy Van Cleave, founder of Pet Posse, said.
“And that’s just what’s made our Facebook page. We’ve probably helped another 8,000 people through other means.”
Those “other means” include giving advice on effective methods of searching for a lost pet, contacting local vets and spreading the word through friends in the area.
“When we started Pet Posse, I thought we’d be getting a few calls a week, maybe help 50 or 60 people a year,” Van Cleave said. “I never thought we’d be where we are today.”
Van Cleave said that Pet Posse was created when she and her husband Bill adopted a dog that had been badly abused in it’s younger years, only for that dog to run away the same night.
“There was no support, no help, no solutions for terrified owners,” Van Cleave said. “It took us two months to find him. I don’t want anyone else to have to go through that if I can help it.”
Basset said she admires that attitude. “We need a Pet Posse and people like Shell’éy in every city,” she said.
Van Cleave and her husband are key cogs in the Pet Posse effort, as is Shari Hamilton.
“Our hours are technically 8 a.m. to 8 p.m.,” Van Cleave said. “But realistically Shari and I are working 6 a.m. to 11 p.m. most days. When there’s fireworks, we’re up all night manning the phones.”
The money raised by Barks & Brews will go a long ways towards helping Pet Posse continue to provide the services they give freely to the community.
“I can’t thank Randy and Maggie enough,” Van Cleave said. “They’ve done so much to help us, and we owe them a lot.”
For those interested in further supporting Pet Posse, they accept donations year-round.
“Every penny we’re given, whether it’s a donation or a ‘tip’ for helping someone, goes back into what we do,” Van Cleave said.
Pet Posse is also gathering as many dog kennels as they can get as they work with Clallam County as part of their emergency preparedness plans.
“If the big earthquake hits or something else happens, dogs and other animals are going to be all over the streets,” Van Cleave said.
“We’re getting set up to be able to be a safe shelter for these animals in an emergency. Right now we can house about 40 dogs, but we want to be able to get that number over 250.”
To learn more about Pet Posse, go to www.portangelespetposse.com.
Jen Frame poses with Max, her blind, 13 year old Boston Terrier who got lost earlier this year and who Pet Posse helped to bring home. “He’s one of our favorite success stories,” said Pet Posse founder Shell’éy Van Cleave. Sequim Gazette photo by Conor Dowley
Pet Posse founder Shell’éy Van Cleave stands with the organization’s veterinary transport, a specially-modified SUV to help take even the largest dog breeds safely to a veterinarian. The transportation service is available to anyone who needs it, especially in emergency situations. Sequim Gazette photo by Conor Dowley
