www.insideHALTON.com | OAKVILLE BEAVER | Thursday, July 11, 2013 | 6 Cause for Paws goes to the dogs at humane society by David Lea Oakville Beaver Staff Spotlight "Connected to your Community" A party to bene t the animals of the Oakville & Milton Humane Society (OMHS) was held at Appleby College in late June and raised $73,000 -- and counting. Cause for Paws has raised hundreds of thousands of dollars for the humane society over the years, allowing the society to shelter and help homeless, abused and neglected animals. "The event has been going now for 12 years. It raises so much money for us and is really the reason why we are on the leading edge of canine training for our adoptable animals," said Brenda Dushko, OMHS spokesperson. "We have a canine training coordinator and now we have a part-time training coordinator as well because of Cause for Paws. The people who come out to the event, the people who raise the money at the event, the people who buy lottery tickets at the event -- they all help pay for us to have those kinds of services available for our animals." Funds translate to action Dushko said what this translates into is that OMHS can take in dogs with behavioural problems other shelters would have to refuse. Some dogs come to the shelter and are very aggressive or reactive to other dogs or are prone to something called `resource guarding' where they get extremely upset if someone goes near their food or toys. Dogs require a lot of work These dogs are basically not adoptable and require a lot work on the part of the humane society to change their behaviour to the point where they can even begin looking for a new home. "We have a dog with us right now and she was a puppy mill breeder dog. She lived her whole life in a At this year's Cause for Paws fundraiser at Appleby College, Matt Wagar is met by greeter O'Malley the dog, who took his role very seriously, not waiting to the end to express his gratitude to party-goers for their support. | photo by Eric Riehl Oakville Beaver (Follow on Twitter @halton_photog) Mary Agnes winner's home and cooks a feast for them and nine of their friends. Cause for Paws also featured a Luxury Lottery where ticket buyers had a chance to win one of three incredible prizes. First prize was a week's vacation to the villas at Troon North in Scottsdale, Arizona. Second prize was a week at the private Owners Club villas in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico while third prize was a weeklong trip to the Owners Club at Hilton Head, South Carolina. The party also featured a raf e for a vintage Louis Vuitton pet carrier valued at $2,800 and generous samplings from area restaurants. Funds are earmarked This year's funds are earmarked for the humane society's canine behaviour modi cation and training program, but also the Charlie Fund, a designated fund for emergency veterinary care for homeless animals. For more information, visit www. causeforpawsoakville.com. NEIL OLIVER Vice President and Group Publisher cage just having puppies for six years," said Dushko. "What she needed was not so much work on behaviours that would be hard to deal with in a home... she needed to learn how to be a dog and because of the Cause for Paws Committee and everyone who comes out to Cause for Paws we can give dogs like Mary Agnes (the dog's name) as much time as she needs and as much work as she needs to become brave and to become trusting and to become ready for a home." Dushko said Mary Agnes has been with the shelter for six months and is almost ready to be adopted. Without Cause for Paws, Dushko The event has been going now for 12 years. It raises so much money for us and is really the reason why we are on the leading edge of canine training for our adoptable animals. OMHS spokesperson Brenda Dushko, said, this would not be the outcome. Dushko said this year's Cause for Paws event was one of the best ever. World famous Latin guitar sensation, Johannes Linstead, an Oakville resident, performed with his trio, giving fans of his Guitar of Fire a oncein-a-lifetime opportunity to enjoy his award-winning music in an intimate setting. Celebrity Chef David Adjey, the Food Network star of Restaurant Makeover and The Opener, attended Cause for Paws and offered his skills as a prize in the live auction. A successful bidder received one of Adjey's famous `Luxury Dinners for 10' in which Adjey goes to the Volume 51 | Number 82 467 Speers Road, Oakville ON (905) 845-3824 Oakville Beaver is a member of the Ontario Press Council. The council is located at 80 Gould St., Suite 206, Toronto, Ont., M5B 2M7. Phone (416) 340-1981. Advertising is accepted on the condition that, in the event of a typographical error, that portion of advertising space occupied by the erroneous item, together with a reasonable allowance for signature, will not be charged for, but the balance of the advertisement will be paid for at the applicable rate. The publisher reserves the right to categorize advertisements or decline. Editorial and advertising content of the Oakville Beaver is protected by copyright. Unauthorized use is prohibited. DAVID HARVEY JILL DAVIS Regional General Manager Editorial Department: (905) 632-0588 Classi ed Advertising: (905) 632-4440 Circulation: 5300 Harvester Rd., Burlington (905) 631-6095 Halton Region Editor in Chief ANGELA BLACKBURN Managing Editor