Come for the “Puppy Poop Bingo” and dog costume contest on Saturday and stay to help a homeless pooch.

The seventh annual Pumpkins & Pooches Event will take place Saturday at Helping Hounds Dog Rescue, located at 6606 Kinne Road in DeWitt near ShoppingTown Mall.

The organization finds permanent homes in central New York for more than 1,200 rescue dogs every year. The event has attracted more than 500 people in the past, and this year it features local vendors, food trucks and a bake sale, in addition to games for dogs, like a dog costume contest, and games for people.

The event features “Puppy Poop Bingo,” a popular game in which people bet on the square in a grid area that contains the largest volume of puppy poop, and the first place winner gets $600.

The dog rescue partners with numerous adoption programs and dog control systems to maximize the number of dogs that get cared for. The rescue also collaborates with organizations like the DeWitt Animal Hospital, Finger Lakes Dog Protection Agency Inc., Friends 4 Pound Paws Inc. and Fayetteville Veterinary Hospital.

In an effort to alleviate other states’ overburdened system of dogs in need, the rescue works with Humane Tomorrow and Save a Stray. The group is able to receive dogs from Texas and Alabama through transport rescue programs like Love on Wheels and Precious Cargo Transport.

“Each transport has between 50 and 70 dogs,” said staff member Theresa Calabrese. “Texas rolls through every three weeks, and Alabama comes in once a month. So they are consistent transports all throughout the year.”

Calabrese has been a staff member for five years, and this year’s event will be the third Pumpkins & Pooches event she’s organized.

Animal care attendant Karinn Abraham said Syracuse does not face the same overwhelming population of stray dogs because in the North more people know about spaying and neutering. She said in the South there are still many high-kill shelters and dogs that get put down if they aren’t saved by owners.

The organization is also heavily supported by community volunteers, and one of its positions is an I Speak Doggie Presenter. Linda Dyer has volunteered for two and a half years and works on transport setups and volunteer training.

“I was looking for somewhere to volunteer,” Dyer said. “I didn’t know where my niche was… When I came here, and I saw (the animals), I was stuck.”

In partnership with Safe Kids Upstate New York Coalition, which is led by Upstate Golisano Children’s Hospital, volunteers go to children’s classrooms to educate them on how to appropriately interact with dogs and prevent dog bites.

Calabrese said 77 percent of children who go to the emergency room are there because they were bitten by a dog in their own home.

Helping Hounds Dog Rescue is able to reduce euthanasia to only extreme circumstances and not just for space or time due to its efficiency and the amount of support it receives from the local community. Abraham said the volunteer base comprises a majority of the organization.

“I think it’s better working for the nonprofit,” Calabrese said. “Everybody’s got a big heart. Everybody’s here because they are volunteering, they love what they do.  They’re not getting paid to walk through the door, so this is a choice.”

Published on October 11, 2017 at 9:43 pm

Contact Jiaman: jpeng04@syr.edu