Residents raise nearly $3,000 in two fundraisers for Wayne County Dog Shelter

WOOSTER – One flattened tree. A lawn lined with tire-sized trenches. A damaged sign. One broken blockade.

Since roundabout construction just north of Smithville Western Road began in July, southbound truckers have used the Wayne County Dog Shelter's long driveway as a turnaround point, said Katelyn Lehman, the dog warden and shelter director.

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In one week, four semitrailer drivers who ignored construction and detour signs along Burbank Road damaged shelter and nearby private property, she said.

"It is frustrating that no trucker told us about it, but the people who live in the house near the road and customers let us know," she said.

Not long after these incidents, two fundraisers turned over a combined $3,000 in donations to provide financial aid to the shelter and to pay for property repairs to be completed by the 61 Eagle Scouts troop.

"We're incredibly thankful for the Wayne County Community," Lehman said. "It's just like in early July when we posted on Facebook that we were short on food; the community stepped up."

GoFundMe a new sign, tree and lawn

When the truck backed into the Wayne County Dog Shelter sign, an Eagle Scout had already started remodeling it, said Brock Yoder, traffic safety supervisor for the Wayne County Engineer's Office.

But the damage put that project on hold.

Lehman told him about the damage and, as a former board member for the shelter's nonprofit entity PAWs, Yoder set up a GoFundMe fundraiser.

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"I knew it would cost some money for the shelter and the Scout," he said.

With nearly 30 donations in five days, Brock's GoFundMe raised $1,675 for the shelter of his $1,500 goal, according to the GoFundMe website. The Wooster Oilers junior ice hockey team donated $800, the largest contribution.

With that money, Yoder hopes to purchase supplies and materials to fix the sign and replace the flattened tree.

Following his talk with Lehman, the Engineer's Office placed signs along Route 83 south that read "Open to dog shelter."

"The Engineer's Office was happy to help," he said. "I know it can be confusing with everything going on, so we hope this will make things easier."

With the new signs up, Lehman encourages individuals to visit the shelter as visitations have dwindled since construction began. As of Wednesday, the shelter had more dogs than kennels.

Going forward, Lehman said, the shelter will decide on how best to use the funds and when.

"We still have another two months of construction on that roundabout, so we'll wait and decide if we should fully replace it or repair it," she said. "I'm just so thankful to the Eagle Scout and Brock for helping us out."

Turning a one-time fundraiser into an ongoing contribution

Steve Naughton is passionate about dogs, so much so that his German shepherd, Norton, is the unofficial mascot for his Akron Road gym, Primal Fitness.

For gym-goers, Norton is a common sight at the facility.

"People have told me they join the gym just for Norton," Naughton said. "He's very well tempered and is so good around the loud music and clanging."

The canine's popularity sparked conversations led by his patrons who wanted Norton-inspired merchandise. he said.

"I was talking to a member who mentioned doing a Norton apparel line, so we did it and partnered with Expert T's here in Wooster," he said.

After further thought, Naughton decided to turn the venture into a fundraiser for the local dog shelter by coordinating with PAWs. The final design features an image of Norton with the words "Lift heavy, pet Norton."

"We had around 25 orders in the first few hours, and these weren't exactly cheap shirts," he said.

In total, nearly 70 shirts were sold at around $40 apiece, Naughton said. Combined with additional donations not used to purchase apparel, he raised just short of $3,000.

He used half to pay for the shirts while the remaining funds went to the dog shelter via PAWs, he said.

The success of the donation drive means Norton-inspired apparel is here to stay.

"People are asking for more, so we'll order more shirts and if the demand stays we'll keep it up," Naughton said. "Just like the first fundraiser, the funds will be sent to the Wayne County Dog Shelter."

'We want to enrich the dogs' lives'

When Lehman heard Naughton's proposed fundraiser, she was excited and grateful.

While no firm plans on how to spend the money has been determined, Lehman has ideas.

"One of our biggest costs is medical," she said. "Also, we want to enrich the dogs' lives by buying new equipment like play structures for the play yards."

A cold water line into those yards could be extended.

"When we clean the kennels and crates, we use hot water, but when we want to place water and small pools outside in the summer, we have to lug cold water across the property to the play yards," Lehman said.

As the dog warden and director, Lehman hopes to expand the shelter in the coming years as she talks with county commissioners.

But for now, the money will likely go to more immediate problems.

Reach Bryce by email at bbuyakie@gannett.com

On Twitter: @Bryce_Buyakie