The Memorial Quadrangle was a dog lover’s paradise on Thursday, Oct. 19. Students and faculty were scattered along the walkways playing with dogs of all sizes. With their tails happily wagging, the dogs seemed ecstatic to play with the participants. The dogs were brought for a partnered fundraiser between the Public Relations Student Society of America (PRSSA) and Eugene’s Greenhill Humane Society – the biannual Ducks Love Dogs fundraiser. For a small price, dog lover’s were able to play with these fluffy friends for a good cause.  

Greenhill Humane Society is an animal protection organization in Eugene. They see over 3000 animals per year. Along with the shelter, they also operate a crisis care center where animals, whose owners are either hospitalized, incarcerated or seeking shelter from domestic violence can stay for any given time, whether that be weeks or months.

Because PRSSA has new board members every year, it’s hard to know exactly how many years they’ve partnered with Greenhill Humane Society, but the PRSSA Events Coordinator Cassidy Scott estimates that they’ve put on this fundraiser for about six years. PRSSA has chapters across the nation, and at UO is operated out of the School of Journalism and Communication.

The two organizations aren’t the only groups that benefit from this fundraiser. Students and faculty also get the benefit of brightening their day by playing with dogs. “I have like nine dogs at home,” said Marissa Cortez, a Ducks Love Dogs participant. “I love that I am able to play with a dog… I feel more at home that way.”

The event raised an estimated $300 from about 50 participants. Sixty percent of the funds go to Greenhill, and the other 40 percent goes to PRSSA. Scott said the funds go to a general fundraiser account where the money gets used for certain events that PRSSA puts on, such as social and public relations workshops in Portland and Seattle.

Greenhill Humane Society partners with Ducks Love Dogs on the Univeristy of Oregon campus in Euegene, Ore. Oct. 19, 2017. (Madi Mather/Emerald)

According to Sasha Elliott, community engagement manager at Greenhill, it can cost $5 to $10 per day to feed each animal, $25 to $35 to vaccinate each animal and $50 to $100 to spay or neuter each animal. “The money raised is very beneficial to providing the animals with safe shelter, medical care, and other necessary care,” Elliott said.

All the dogs that were brought to the event were Greenhill staff-owned dogs, and while there are usually almost all new dogs every time, there are also two or three regulars. One of them, named Bear, is a fluffy Pomeranian and a regular fan favorite, according to Scott. They don’t bring shelter dogs to the event because it’s too risky to introduce them to strangers, since the staff doesn’t know the shelter dogs as well as their own pets.

Greenhill received almost 100 owner-surrendered dogs last week, 49 of which will remain there. Due to space concerns, the other 49 dogs will be relocated to the Oregon Humane Society and the Willamette Humane Society. Greenhill is always looking for people who might want to adopt a dog or donate to their cause.

This is Scott’s first year coordinating the fundraiser, and she said she’s eager to do it again in the spring. The task “was daunting at first,” Scott said. Finding the space, the dogs and figuring out the logistics of it all were some of the hardest parts, according to her.

Scott’s favorite part was “at the beginning when Greenhill set up and all the dogs were there. Class just got out and there was this feeling of wow we did it, and this is going to be a success,” she said.

In the past, the fundraiser has been a success for both parties, and this term was no exception. The event will be held again in spring 2018.

Greenhill Humane Society partners with Ducks Love Dogs on the Univeristy of Oregon campus in Euegene, Ore. Oct. 19, 2017. (Madi Mather-Emerald)

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