As many in Marion prepared to serve Thanksgiving dinner to a handful of family members, Diana Bowers and Jayna Hughes prepared for a much larger crowd — about 100 dogs and 50 cats.
The friends have made Thanksgiving dinner for the animals at Marion County Dog Pound and the Marion Area Humane Society (MAHS) for the past three years.
It all started three years ago when Bowers and Hughes came across a Facebook post. The post was about a group that had made Thanksgiving dinners for dogs at an animal shelter. Both Bowers and Hughes, lifelong animal lovers, agreed: Why couldn’t they do the same in Marion?
“Diana and I have always had a passion for shelter pets,” said Hughes, 35. “They just seem like an overlooked group in society. So we just wanted to do something that would show them that they are cared about, that they are special and that they are not forgotten during the holidays.”
Jayna Hughes, left, and Diana Bowers have been making Thanksgiving dinners for the animals at the Marion County Dog Pound and Marion Area Humane Society for three years. This year they fed about 100 dogs and 50 cats.
A real meal with all the trimmings for 150 furry friends
After receiving approval from the Marion County Dog Pound and the MAHS, they got to work. This year they prepared four turkeys, a dog-friendly fruit salad, sweet potatoes, green beans with bacon and pumpkin puree with whipped cream.
‘This is a way I can help these people [dogs] feel the love and enjoy something they don’t experience that others do,” Bowers, 42, said.
This year, Bowers and Hughes fed nearly 100 dogs and more than 50 cats, split between the Marion County Dog Pound and the Marion Area Humane Society.
Scott Mills, Marion County dog warden, said the meal is a treat the dogs and volunteers look forward to every year.
Jayna Hughes tops each bowl with a portion of whipped cream.
“It definitely lifts their spirits sometimes, and they’re excited about it,” he said.
Volunteers and staff helped line up the bowls and fill them with chunks before handing them to Bowers and Hughes to top it off with the Thanksgiving staples.
Lizzy, with 415 days at the pound, knew it was good to go
When the bowls were full, the keepers placed one in each kennel while the dogs were outside. Then each dog was admitted one by one. After a quick sniff and perhaps a lick at their caregivers, the dogs headed straight into the kennel to pick up their Thanksgiving dinner.
For one Marion County Dog Pound resident, this would be the second Thanksgiving spent in the pound.
Lizzy Barkson, 8, has been at Marion County Dog Pound longer than any other dog at 415 days. Scott Mills, the dog warden, hopes someone will give her a forever home soon.
Lizzy Barkson, an 8-year-old female dog, has been at the shelter for more than 415 days. When it was her turn, she ran to Mills’ three-year-old son, Lincoln, before entering her kennel. Mills hopes the pound’s tallest resident will find a home soon.
While the dogs ate, a rare moment occurred in the dog enclosure. All the dogs were quiet and only the sound of chewing echoed through the kennel.
Each bowl contained turkey, sweet potatoes, green beans with bacon, pumpkin puree and whipped cream.
The volunteers laughed and chatted with the dogs, some of which sported whipped cream-spotted noses.
“They love seeing the joy it brings to these dogs who can’t spend Thanksgiving or even Christmas with their families,” Bowers said. “They have to spend it in kennels, but we get to bring that joy to them.”
The cats at the shelter got their own Thanksgiving meal
At MAHS, adoption coordinator Riley Bails was equally excited to see Bowers and Hughes arrive with trays in hand.
Gypsy is one of the newest residents of Marion County Dog Pound. She is 1-2 years old and has a hip injury. Dog ranger Scott Mills hopes a rescue will save her and help pay for her surgery.
“I look forward to Thanksgiving every year,” Bails said.
MAHS has about 120 cats, more than 50 of which are in the cat room where people can view them for adoption. The shelter also houses approximately 50 dogs.
Bails gave each dog a bowl, but not before they sat down or did another trick. As for the cats, Bowers and Hughes opened wet canned food and fed them immediately.
Jayna Hughes gathered a small group of cats around her as she fed them chopped turkey for Thanksgiving dinner.
As soon as they entered the room, the cats immediately came to them.
The cats were competitive for every can, but there was enough food for everyone. Hughes, armed with a bag of chopped turkey, seemed popular with all the cats as they meowed at her and sometimes climbed on her leg.
Wanda, the shelter’s oldest feline resident, accepted a few chin scratches before walking down from her spot. She waited patiently for a can of her own, which Hughes’ husband happily provided.
Helping shelters in need
Wanda, 11, the oldest cat at the Marion Area Humane Society, waits patiently for her can of Thanksgiving food.
Both the Marion County Dog Pound and MAHS regularly accept donations. For the dog pound, the Friends of Marion County Dog Pound Facebook group helps collect donations on behalf of the pound. The group has put together an Amazon list for donors.
Mills said the dog pound accepts dog food and cleaning products such as laundry detergent.
“Dog food is our greatest need,” Mills says.
The MAHS has linked a number of ways to donate on its website. The shelter accepts monetary donations directly or through its lists. Both shelters also accept personal donations.
This article originally appeared on Marion Star: Dogs and cats from the Marion shelter receive a special homemade Thanksgiving dinner
