In February, Cochrane GM announced they were beginning their Wagging Tails Campaign by partnering with The Cochrane & Area Humane Society and raising funds for the non-profit. Today,(May 7) Cochrane GM presented a cheque for $7,500 to go directly to the care of the animals who currently call the shelter home.

Rob Dzikewich, General Manager for Cochrane GM explains how they managed to raise such a large amount. “What we do is, besides setting up donation boxes in the middle of the dealership. Every new and used vehicle that we sell and deliver to our local clients, we make a donation to the Humane Society and today's donation is a combination of what we've been able to achieve over the last couple of months.”

“Cochrane GM has been open for approximately seven months, and one of our mandates was to support the community, and one of our employees came up with an idea to support the Cochrane Humane Society and we jumped all over it.”

“We hope, with the community’s support, this number can get even larger.”

The total number of dollars raised was kept a secret, so when CAHS executive director Janine Rosler saw the cheque, she was speechless. “My jaw dropped! It’s absolutely incredible. What a surprise to walk into, I mean, any level of support is really appreciated but to see 7,500 dollars is pretty thrilling.”

“Recognizing that this pandemic has thrown challenges to absolutely everybody and that organizations are still stepping forward to see what they can do to ensure that our doors are open, while still trying to keep their doors open, is absolutely heartwarming.”

At any given time, the Humane Society cares for around 200 animals. Cats, dogs, birds, bunnies, and rodents are just an example of the variety of creatures who need medical exams, treatments and to be spayed/neutered.

She says that the generosity from the Cochrane community and businesses has been instrumental for the shelter over the past year.

“With the restrictions and having to postpone, cancel and modify our own programs and services, we've relied even more than before on others to do some fundraising for us. The generosity of local businesses, of our community and supporters to provide that funding for us so that we can continue doing what we do.”