May 27, 2002 – The Critter Crawl canines from the Humane Society of St. Thomas were out in their Memorial Day finest Monday, all washed and perky, and they had lots of fun romping about and showing off their shiny coats. But the day turned out to be a dress rehearsal.
Too many other Memorial Day events had gotten the attention of animal enthusiasts, and only a handful of the crowd the event has previously attracted showed up.
But that didn't dampen the fun for those enjoying the sunny afternoon on the field behind Roy L. Schneider Hospital. Jennifer and Gordon Ackley, in the company of their pure white German Shepherds, Sheena, and her fiancé Drake (as in Sir Francis), spent the afternoon chatting with Humane Society board members and volunteers and planning the next event.
Shelter manager Hubert Brumant and his 7-year-old son, Elija, lined the assorted shelter representatives up for pictures with the eight dogs that would have been available to take for a run around a one-mile track. Lady, a long-haired white island dog with huge black eyes and black and white dalmatian ears, capered around flirting with everyone and easily won Miss Congeniality.
Joe Aubain, board president, and Lisa Schmid, the event organizer, decided to reschedule this third Critter Crawl for fall and to get out more publicity. Aubain said he thought October would be the month to do it. What about hurricanes? "Oh, they'll be in August or September," he said, unperturbed. "October will be a fine month."
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