MWMS club gives holiday cheer to shelter animals

Pinal County Animal Care & Control celebrated Christmas on Tuesday with the help of local students.

That’s when a group of students from Maricopa Wells Middle School arrived with about 50 elevated mesh dog beds, about 100 pounds of dog food, several blankets and towels, cans of moist cat and dog food and a couple of smaller fluffy dog beds.

“What these students did was provide a brighter holiday season for the ‘guests’ in our shelter,” said Animal Care & Control Director Kaye Dickson. “These donations didn’t just help one or two animals, they helped so many. The dogs love the elevated mesh dog beds because they’re more comfortable than laying on a hard floor, especially for the older animals. Puppies love the beds too. They just pile on there with their littermates.”

The students are part of a program called PAWS or Pairing Animals with Students, which teaches students about animal care, nutrition, training tips, grooming and educates students about the wide variety of animal breeds.

Throughout the year, the program features guest speakers, field trips and donation drives. The program is led by middle school teacher Kimberly Frankel.

“Pets are such a big part of peoples’ lives. It’s nice to see a program like PAWS integrated into the middle school experience,” Dickson said.

***ADVERTISEMENT***The shelter welcomes donations of clean blankets and towels, new dog or cat toys, unopened bags or cans of food.

The shelter will be closed today, but open Christmas Eve day.

Normal hours are weekdays from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. and from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturdays. The shelter is at 1150 S. Eleven Mile Corner Road, just a few miles east of Interstate 10 next to the Pinal County Fairgrounds & Events Center.