Sampson Fund Auction Helps Give Pets A New Leash On Life

by Debra Lawless

            Randi Moberg of Chatham never forgets a dog's name, even when she hasn't seen the dog for years.

            "I don't always remember their people's names," Moberg says, laughing.

            Moberg, who has bathed dogs at Pleasant Bay Animal Hospital (PBAH) in East Harwich for over 10 years, is one of the many dedicated volunteers for the Sampson Fund for Critical Veterinary Care who will be on hand during the fund's Fifth Annual Birdhouses and More Auction on Sunday, March 30 at the Wequassett Inn and Resort in East Harwich.       

The Chatham Squire as a birdhouse, made by Nancy Warren and Lori McKenzie.

     The fund is a non-profit, Cape-wide organization that pays for life-saving veterinary procedures for animals whose owners might otherwise have to opt for euthanasia as their sole affordable option. This year Moberg has created a birdhouse called "Butterfly House," and also sewn a quilt and three dog pillows which she donated to the auction.

            "The pets are part of your family, and it's great we can help," Moberg says. "I try to do as much as I can."

            The auction this year promises to be another gala event with guests sipping drinks and munching hors d'oeuvres while getting into some heavy bidding on about 250 items, most animal-related, at both the live and silent auctions.

            "I've bought many [bird]houses, and I've branched out and bought many other things," says veterinarian Joan Goffi of Eastham, president of the fund. Last year, she says, the fundraiser yielded $36,000. She hopes to top that this year, and adds that the fund has almost zero overhead because everyone who works for it is a volunteer.

            Here's how the money is used:

            PBAH is one of nine veterinary hospitals across the Cape and Islands which are members of the Sampson Fund and receive a monthly allotment which they distribute. (Cape Animal Referral and Emergency Center, the round-the-clock facility which opened in January 2006 in South Dennis, is also one of those nine.) If a pet owner brings in a sick pet but cannot afford necessary treatment, a veterinarian may recommend that the person apply to the Sampson Fund. If he or she qualifies for funding, the veterinary hospital will deduct 20 percent of the bill, the fund will pay for 60 percent of the bill, and the owner will kick in the final 20 percent. Goffi calls this a "three-way partnership."

            The fund's mission statement calls for "giving sick and injured animals a new leash on life."

            The Sampson Fund was founded in 1986 by veterinarian Christopher Donner, the former owner of PBAH. Sampson was a once-homeless yellow cat whose owners gave Donner $25 above their bill to help pet owners who might have trouble paying for their pet's care. That $25 donation sparked the idea of a community-supported fund to help other companion animals and strays receive critical care.

            "It's a totally local, grassroots, all-Cape Cod thing," Goffi says of the fund.

            And the auction really is a grassroots event, with many talented people in the community creating birdhouses that are more akin to art.

            Last year Nancy Warren and Lori McKenzie of Eastham, owners of a catering business, were sitting outside Chatham Elementary School waiting to deliver their food when they began to study the old Chatham Railroad Depot. And so they paid a tribute to the historic building in their fourth birdhouse, which raised about $500 at auction. This year the pair has recreated the Chatham Squire as a birdhouse using driftwood which they collect on First Encounter Beach while walking their Jack Russells Ginger and Jack. The bases are made of very aged boat plywood.

            "Most people might use it for decoration, but it's a functioning birdhouse," Warren says, and suitable for a family of finches.

            The Squire birdhouse has three peaked roofs, just like the restaurant itself, and a dog bar in the front, with what looks like a young yellow Labrador retriever lounging beneath it. On the left is a small tree with a birdhouse in it.

            Martha Meier, a gemologist at Chatham Jewelers, created a "Carousel Birdhouse" using gemstones and feathers from her cockatoo Angel. John Chatham, Harwich's conservation administrator, created a birdhouse called "Birds of Paradise." And sisters Joan Guiney of Chatham and Jane Leonard of Harwich collaborated on "Noah's Bark."

            Harwich artist Odin K. Smith donated a painting "Rhythmical Dances." Another Harwich artist, William Lutz, donated signed prints. A Chatham Getaway package includes two nights and dinner at the Chatham Wayside Inn and a gift certificate to the Roobar. A gift certificate entitles the bearer to dinner for two at 28 Atlantic at the Wequassett Inn.

            Auctioneer Charles Bailey-Gates New Hampshire will entertain the crowd.

            "My pet can be saved, but can I afford it?" Moberg says. "That's a really hard decision to make." And it's one that the Sampson Fund will prevent many pet owners from having to make.

            Advanced tickets to the Fifth Annual Birdhouses and More Auction are $25; tickets at the door are $30. A ticket will get you an auction catalogue and paddle. The silent auction will run from 2 to 3:30 p.m. and the live auction will follow. For tickets and more information call 508-778-5150.

3/270/08