Furry Friends Fall Festival a hit for both animals and humans

HOUGHTON —  The inaugural Furry Friends Fall Festival took place Saturday at the Copper Country Veterinary Clinic in Houghton.

The fundraiser was created to help support the Keweenaw Spay and Neuter Assistance Group (K-SNAG).

Associate Veterinarian Dr. Michael Cole said the group does not get a lot of publicity, and events like this let people know about the services they offer.

“Mostly, I wanted to raise awareness to what K-SNAG is because a lot of people still haven’t heard of the group,” he said.  “They do a lot of wonderful things, not just with assisting with surgical costs for spaying and neutering stray animals and animals from low-income families. They also are a major rescue group for the cats in the area.”

The event featured many activities for kids including face-painting, a roulette wheel, and a Teddy Bear Surgery station, where kids pretended to heal their stuffed animals.  For those interested in adopting a pet, the clinic had a few out for display.  But, the overall message for this event was the pet population problem that is prevalent all over country.

“The Copper Country is no different,” Cole said.  “Just from trying to control the overall population, particularly with cats because they tend to multiply very quickly, especially if left to be feral. And unfortunately, we get a lot of abandoned or stray animals in the area and that can really contribute to the pet population as well.”

The festival had a great turnout and was largely a success.

The clinic wants to remind everyone to give them a call if you have any questions at (906) 296-9144, about getting your pets spayed or neutered, or visit their Facebook page.