It’s almost time to lace up those running shoes—or paw protectors—as participants prepare to pound the pavement during the second annual Run for the Rescues 5K on Saturday, November 14.
This year, the canine-friendly competition will boast an all-new course and, in addition to awarding medals by age group, there will also be trophies presented to the fastest male, female and overall runners.
Online registration for the race is already open to the public, and all proceeds raised will help Friends of Lumpkin County Shelter Animals support the new County shelter and its furry inhabitants.
The Nugget recently met with Friends President Savana Borchers and volunteer event organizer Diana Dunetz to discuss some of the changes implemented after last year’s inaugural race, and why they believe this year’s fundraiser is so important to the future success of the new shelter.
Lumpkin County Animal Services Manager Wayne Marshall also joined the conversation to update the public on the new facility’s progress and outline some temporary changes to the shelter’s operations during the transition.
He also addressed false rumors that the shelter had to euthanize animals in order to prepare for construction of the new facility.
RESCUE RUN
Run for the Rescues will begin at 9 a.m. at Cottrell Elementary and follow a new route through town and down North Grove Street, with a planned turnaround at Lumpkin County Middle School.
“We had some issues with the route last year, so we decided to simplify it a little bit. It’s just a couple of curves instead of a bunch of sharp turns, and there is more sidewalk that people can be on,” Borchers said.
Of course, runners are still encouraged to bring their well-behaved dogs with them, either on a leash or in a stroller.
This time around competitors will be treated to more age categories for medals.
“Last year I didn’t know we would get the response that we actually got, from so many different age groups, so I did every 20 years or so. Now we’ve got more age categories,” Dunetz confirmed.
There will also be a total of three trophies awarded: fasted male, fastest female and fastest overall.
Online pre-registration for the 5K or Virtual Race is available now, with a $5 discount for those signing up by October 13. And anyone who registers for the in-person race by midnight on October 31 will receive a T-shirt.
“We cannot offer T-shirts after that, just because I can’t guarantee they will come in,” Dunetz said, although walk-up registrations, minus the shirt, will still be available at 8 a.m. on the morning of the race.
SHELTER PARTNERS
Dunetz said the fundraiser hopes to capitalize on the fact that the County is building a new shelter at their Red Oak Flats property, although not everyone she has talked to is aware of that fact.
“It’s funny, there has been a lot of reporting on the new shelter, there has been a lot on Facebook on the new shelter. And then I went around town a few weeks ago giving out flyers … And they’re like ‘Oh, a new shelter?’ So it kind of stunned me that fewer people than I thought realize what’s going on. We want the community to get behind the new shelter, and the increased number of animals they are going to be able to help. That’s the key,” she explained.
Dunetz noted that last year’s Run for the Rescues had around 100 participants. She is hoping to double that number this year.
In addition to raising awareness of the new shelter, proceeds from the race will be used to help outfit the new building with important medical equipment like surgery lights, as well as some key interior furnishings.
Dunetz noted that any resistance she has encountered in the community likely stems from a misunderstanding of why the County needs support from the Friends group in the first place.
“In other words, ‘Why even have a 5K to raise money for this? Didn’t my tax dollars [do that]?’ Yes, there is that SPLOST money paying for construction of the shelter. But when you buy your house, the couch isn’t included. You have your structure, but a lot more is needed,” she said.
SHELTER UPDATE
Despite some online chatter to the contrary, Lumpkin County Animal Services has reportedly not had to euthanize any animals for time or space during construction of the new shelter, although some were relocated.
“We always do transfers. They’re always to humane societies—No one who would euthanize,” Borchers said. “The goal here is to either adopt or transfer to another humane society rescue at all times. We reach out to other humane societies and say ‘Hey, look, this is the situation that we’re in. If you can help, please help.’”
While Animal Control is still on duty to handle sick or dangerous animals, half of the shelter’s existing kennels are currently unavailable, so the County has had to temporarily limit owner surrenders to prevent the shelter from becoming overwhelmed.
The site is also temporarily closed to the public for safety reasons, except by advance appointment.
Borchers said the Friends group sponsored a number of local adoption events over the last couple of months to move as many animals out in advance of construction, with other rescue organizations like TLC Dahlonega picking up the slack.
“Rest assured, none of the animals are put down because of this going on,” she reiterated.
In fact, Marshall said, he is required by state and federal authorities to come up with strategic plans to handle any scenario.
“We have certain mandated functions: dangerous dogs, bites to humans, rabies control. The rest of the stuff is what we wish and love to provide for our community,” Marshall said.
While voluntary intakes are currently paused, he is still building a call list in case space allows for additional intakes.
“If I can get my population down to below my current operation ability, then I can say ‘Hey, listen. We’ve got room for today.’ I have to keep so many runs open for rabies quarantine and dangerous dogs. So we did the math and figured that out,” Marshall said, adding that currently he only has eight dogs on the property.
Meanwhile, the new structure has already gone vertical, and Marshall said “if everything goes perfect” it could be ready to move into as soon as January.
The expansion will also include additional parking and an educational conference room that can be utilized by outside groups like the Boy Scouts, Girl Scouts and Avita Community Partners for educational programming.
“There were certain things that we weren’t able to put into the concept, but were still necessary. And that’s part of the reason the Friends group is doing all these fundraisers, besides spay-and-neuter and medical needs,” Marshall said, citing medical tables and a conference table as examples of supplemental items that the Friends group can help procure.
All things considered, Dunetz said this year’s charity race has the potential to make an outsized difference for both the new shelter and its occupants.
“This is a community resource, and now it will be a better community resource,” she said.
To sign up for this year’s Run for the Rescues 5K online, visit https://runsignup.com/Race/GA/Dahlonega/RunForTheRescues5k. To learn more about Friends of Lumpkin County Shelter Animals, or to donate, visit www.friendsoflcshelteranimals.com.