On National Puppy Day, Madras shelter has a request

To celebrate National Puppy Day, the Three Rivers Humane Society in Madras was giving out extra treats for their furry companions — some who must stay outside in the brisk early-spring weather.

At one point, the shelter said it had more 50 puppies in kennels; typically, the shelter houses between 35 and 75 dogs.

The biggest problem right now is a lack of space, especially in indoor kennels.

Jerilee Drynan, the shelter’s director of operations, spoke about concerns with pets being forced to remain outside in inclement weather.

“We’d like to build a building where they (dogs) can come in and have heat and air conditioning,” Drynan said.

Regardless of extreme heat and cold, the most Drynan and the others can do is keep them comfortable while they remain outside.

“It’s a challenge, because this weather is unpredictable,” Drynan said. “You can have snow all the way into April and hot conditions all the way into November.”

A new campaign called Raise the Woof aims at collecting much-needed funds to build the building.

“We’re close to reaching our goal, but we aren’t there yet,” said Drynan.

For more information on donations or adoptions, you can visit their website at threerivershs.org.