By Stephen Smoot
The “dog days” of summer have passed, but those who care completely for their canines can celebrate their pooches for a good cause with “Barktober.”
Barktober is run by the doggedly determined personnel and volunteers with the Humane Society of Hardy County. Their ambitious work in caring for stray animals while also reducing the feral cat populations in Hardy County requires a lot of support.
Barktober gives those supporters a way to showcase and enjoy “man’s best friend” while also helping the Humane Society accomplish its missions.
“It’s gonna be a doggone good day!” shared the announcement on social media from the Humane Society.
The fun starts at 11 a.m. on Saturday, October 3. A variety of vendors and local food trucks will be on hand to provide a great selection of fun foods to eat, cool drinks, and interesting spots to shop. Throughout the event, one can buy special Humane Society of Hardy County merchandise to show support for the work they do for animals in the area.
Also, Sweet Lemon Pet Portraits, digital images only, will be available for a freewill donation.
At 11 a.m. starts the Pumpkin Painting and Costume Contest. Artists can start painting pumpkins at 11 and judging will take place at 1 p.m. At the conclusion of judging will be the trivia contest.
An auction of donated items will commence at 2 p.m.
In June of 2025, the Humane Society of Hardy County held a similar event, “Woofstock.” Steve Pendleton at the time noted that one of the goals for that event was using funds raised to start a trap, neuter, and release program for cats in Hardy County.
That program began not long after. Successful neutering of a large number of cats in the past several months has likely prevented thousands of potential births of cats destined to live in dangerous environments, competing with other feral cats and wildlife for limited food. Veterinarians from all over the Potomac Highlands have supported the TNR program, as it is called for short.
Hardy County has multiple feral cat colonies of varying sizes. One of the primary reasons to reduce the colony populations lies in the fact that many cats in these colonies cannot get enough food and receive no care when sick or injured. Those involved with the program say that this reduces considerably animal suffering among these populations.
Another success for the Humane Society has been the acquisition of a large space in which to operate the program. It provides an area for cats to recover prior to release back into the wild.
