The annual Dog House and Blanket Drive is housing cold pooches again. Dog houses, food, and blankets will be collected by Boulevard resident Pam Lawless to distribute for use now until the spring.
“Last year over 23 dog houses were donated and distributed to dogs in need, in our local mountains,” said Lawless, “This is the 6th or 7th year I’ve been doing the dog house, blanket drive.”
“It started with the obvious need for a lot of dogs out this way to keep warm with the very cold weather we have up here,” said Lawless, “I teamed up with a lady named Shirley Perez, who helps people on the reservations. Shirley hires a very nice man, Victor, who drives her out this way— Campo, Jacumba, and Boulevard.”
Lawless picks up dog houses or has them dropped off at 38661 Old Highway 80, Boulevard.
“I had a dog pass away. I have two dog houses I wanted to pass along,” said Alpine resident Chad Hefty. “I saw someone had posted about (the collection) on Facebook. It was just silly to not put them to good use.”
“Very generous,” said Lawless, describing Alpine residents who have donated and participated in previous years.
“There are still many dogs that need dog houses and blankets to keep comfortable during these storms and even in the summer, to protect them from the heat,” Lawless said.
Farmer’s Almanac, in their 2018-2019 winter forecast, predicts a cold and dry winter for this part of Southern California. Dogs that spend a lot of time outside need protection from the cold and snow.
“New, used, Igloos are the best because they don’t blow away,” Lawless noted. All dog houses are welcome.
To contribute a new or used dog house, food, and blankets contact Pam Lawless at (619) 964-1181.