Politics & Government

Homeless Animals To Be Honored at Candlelight Vigil

College Park's Animal Welfare Committee is hosting an event to honor animals that never found "forever homes."

Since she began working as College Park's Animal Control Officer in April, Vivian Cooper estimates that 50 cats and five dogs have passed through the College Park Animal Shelter. A small percentage of these animals have found homes, but the vast majority, she said, have not been so lucky.

In honor of International Homeless Animals Day, the Animal Welfare Society of College Park is holding a candlelight vigil Saturday evening at Davis Hall. The purpose of the event, Cooper said, is to alert the community to the plight of homeless animals, as well as draw attention to the oft-overlooked animal shelter that sits amid College Park's public works facilities.  

In addition to the vigil, the evening will feature two animal-themed conversation circles: one for story-telling and one for sharing memories.

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Linda Lachman, a member of the Animal Welfare Committee, will lead the story-telling circle. She said she anticipates lots of laughter to accompany her discussion, since people tend to love nothing more than sharing funny stories about their animal companions.

The other circle will be led by Taimi Anderson, a trained animal communicator, who will guide a discussion on the memories of pets who were loved and lost, Lachman said.

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"It will be an opportunity, in either case, to talk about animals that have crossed over what we call the 'rainbow bridge,'" she said. 

Participants are encouraged to bring photos of their pets, in order to help strengthen the connection between themselves and their animals that have passed on, Lachman said.

Because the College Park Animal Shelter relies so heavily on donations – Cooper estimates that 95 percent of the food and litter used by cats is donated – participants are also asked to bring a contribution to the event. Because of the shelter's current glut of kittens, Cooper said that litter and kitten food, both wet and dry, is especially encouraged. 

The event will begin at 7 p.m. at Davis Hall. In addition to donations and pet photos, participants may also bring their well-behaved dogs. For more information, call 240-487-3570.


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