ELEVEN MILE CORNER — A group of volunteers in Saddlebrooke has made and donated 125 customized dog beds to the Pinal County Animal Care and Control shelter.
The beds were donated earlier this month.
“It sometimes takes a spark of imagination to begin such a project,” said Joy Wegner, who along with her husband, Bud, began the project in 2018.
The couple had visited the shelter and realized dogs were sleeping on cold, hard, sometimes damp concrete floors.
“They needed elevated beds for safety and comfort,” Wegner said. “The spark for a community project was lit.”
Bud worked with the shelter’s staff to design an economical bed that was sized for the kennels, sturdy for the wear and tear of the kennel environment, cool for the Arizona summers, washable and easily repairable, according to Wegner.
“The imagination stage led to the designing, testing, building and delivery of 100 dog beds in early 2019 to PCACC,” she said. “Fast forward to 2022, and discussions with the shelter’s staff resulted in the 2023 Dog Bed Project that was completed in January 2023 — 125 additional dog beds for the shelter plus extra covers that will be used for repairs in the coming months.”
The project was a community effort with the contribution of many donors and volunteers.
“Donors from around Pinal County, including members of the Saddlebrooke Dog Park and more than 30 individuals, contributed funds for the materials,” Wegner said.
The Home Depot of Casa Grande provided a discount on PVC materials and screws used for the bed frames.
“This generosity allowed the project to expand from the original plan of 100 beds to a total of 125 dog beds,” she said.
The week of Jan. 9, 30 volunteers worked in shifts in the Wegners’ garage in Saddlebrooke to cut PVC materials, assemble the frames and secure the mesh covers to the frames with screws, according to Wegner.
“While distance to the shelter, located near Casa Grande, precludes many of these volunteers from visiting PCACC, their commitment, care and concern for dogs at the shelter is apparent in their contribution of time, energy and enthusiasm for this project,” she said. “By the end of the week, the kennel manager for the Pinal County shelter picked up 125 beds, with legs to be attached as they are placed in the kennels. This new supply will supplement the 65 beds from the 2019 delivery that are still in use at the shelter.”
The 2023 project was coordinated through Friends of Pinal County Animal Shelter & Rescues, a nonprofit organization that supports PCACC with funding for medical equipment, veterinary care, and general health and well-being of shelter animals.
More information about Friends of Pinal is online, www.FriendsofPinal.org.
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