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Parker, a 9-year-old mutt, just finished his last round of chemotherapy for lymphoma, and his owner, Marcia Heil of Alma, Wis., calls him a great companion.
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Kurt Rannenberg, left, and Carol Appelwick wash Shadow at the 5th annual Dog Wash Saturday in front of the Pet Medical Center in Winona. All proceeds from the fundraiser go to the Winona Area Humane Society. (Photo by Paul Solberg/Winona Daily News) |
But mostly, folks wanted to see Parker because money was on the line. Guess his lineage correctly and win a raffle.
Someone guessed collie-beagle-corgi-shepherd. Another thought terrier-corgi-collie-shepherd.
Both were wrong. Turns out Parker is Scottie-shepherd-Newfoundland-collie, as revealed by a genetics test administered as part of the event.
He may not be a pureblood, but that doesn’t matter to Heil.
“When I moved down here to be a pastor at churches in Alma and Cochrane, my kids didn’t come with me,” she said. “He’s like my child.”
She wasn’t the only one there to pamper her pet.
Kathie Jonsgaard brought her 10-year-old sheltie, Lacey, for the bath.
“She’s suffering from kidney disease and has had a rough week,” Jonsgaard said. “She needs to be pampered.”
Baths weren’t the only part of the event. Cement paw prints, a $3 lunch and plenty of prizes — including a genetic test like Parker received — were available.
All proceeds went to the Humane Society — money the shelter needs during puppy season.
“We’ve been inundated with puppies this year,” Humane Society board member Dede Olson said. “We have so many more this year than ever.”
