Weekly Wag from the Humane Society of Burnett County

Do you have a fondness for something sweet? Skittles is your answer! Skittles is a small orange and white female with light green eyes. She is a petite girl- about five pounds - and about one year old. She likes to investigate and be active. Skittles is a loving and pleasant cat, and she loves attention. Give her a good snuggle, and she’ll show her appreciation with the her soft purrs and rubs. If you’re looking for a bit of sugar, call HSBC for a time to meet Skittles.

We’ve talked a lot about the new Peggy Schilling Animal Adoption & Education Center, and some of you may have seen the 3D model of the finished building at the Meow Market. The demolition phase is now mostly complete, and soon the exciting part begins. For those of you who missed it, We’d like to give you a bit of an idea of what’s going to happen in the coming months.

As you can imagine, there is more space. Most of the north wall will be lined with dog kennels, including a separated area for those under quarantine. Across the hall - and by that we mean across the wall between the dog adoption wing and the hallway - is the cat area. The separation means a bit more quiet for the feline living quarters, with windows to give them something to watch. They will also have their own quarantine area.

There is also a spacious exam area and night drop off for the local officers, two laundry areas, and three mini-kitchen areas for food prep.

For the humans, there will be a larger lobby and welcome area with office and storage space on the second floor. Also planned are a multi-purpose room, a classroom, and a large community education room all on the main floor. Wouldn’t these be great places to hold dog manners classes or school presentations? The possibilities for those spaces are only limited by our imaginations.

As we head into the summer, just a short note on dogs and fireworks. We up here in the north country love making noise regardless of the holiday (sometimes, just because it’s Friday). Dogs’ hearing is much more sensitive than ours and some dogs are distressed by loud noise. If you don’t know how Sparky is going to react to those awesome new fireworks, it may be a good idea to leave him inside where he’s a little more insulated from the party. Many dogs are lost when they get startled and take off to hide. We want everyone to have a safe and enjoyable time!