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The Northwoods Humane Society and shelter holds a fundraiser Saturday, June 3 at the Forest Lake High School, featuring about 30 artworks donated for the fundraiser and a series of “animal art” paw-duced by shelter residents themselves. (Photos feature Joel and Buddy creating their masterpieces recently, with help from Northwoods volunteers.)

Northwoods’ “Art Unleashed” event includes watercolors, oil paintings, glass, ceramics and more. The event opens at 2 p.m. and runs until 6 p.m. with refreshments included in the $10 ticket price. Art purchases would be in addition.

Call Northwoods for info at 651-982-0240 or purchase tickets at the door. On the Internet see www.northwoodshs.org.

Northwoods’ Shelter, located in Wyoming Township, has experienced very heavy-use this year and at the same time seen donations curtailed-- which shelter volunteers are guessing is because donors most likely to contribute to animal welfare organizations are sending funds to the hurricane region programs. The shelter facility also had to be shutdown for several days due to a quarantine and clean-up process and those lost hours affected finances.

Northwoods also supplies Chisago County’s animal control and patrol. This annual service is being funded at a reduced cost from what the county budgeted the last few years. The former animal control provider gave notice he could not continue to provide the program at county funding levels.

In the first couple of months of offering animal control, Northwoods saw 21 dogs impounded in January and 14 in February. Only 18 of these animals have been reclaimed. In January eight dogs were neutered and in Feb. five dogs were fixed.

Only one dog was wearing an ID tag.

According to Molly Nemec, volunteer, Northwoods adopted-out 1,000 animals in 2005. Adoption hours are Monday through Friday 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Saturday and Sunday noon until 5 p.m.

Help Northwoods accomplish its mission to prevent neglect of domestic animals, to provide for lost and homeless domestic pets and to educate the public by purchasing a ticket to the arts show event or by sending a cash donation.

You can also keep costs down for animal control by making sure your animal has identification on at all times, keeping your pets under your control and neutering and spaying all your cats and dogs.

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