Without the Mower County Humane Society, cats and dogs whose time expired at the city pound would be euthanized. But to stay open, the MCHS relies on the community’s support.

The MCHS annual pasta dinner and live auction, one of the two biggest fundraisers for the year, will take place from 4 to 7 p.m. Sunday at the Austin Holiday Inn Conference Center. The live auction will start around 5:30 p.m. Advance tickets are available at the Humane Society and Double K and cost $10 for adults and $4 for kids 8 and under. At the door, tickets are $12 for adults and $5 for kids 8 and under. The Humane Society receives no funding from the city or larger animal programs such as the American Society for Prevention of Cruelty of Animals, and the shelter is entirely volunteer run, which means the budget for the year comes from fundraisers and donations.

Volunteer and former board member Anette Mueller said the annual fundraiser has been going on for many years and is one of the biggest events all year, along with the Walk for Animals, a 5K race held in September.

“We’re 100 percent volunteer run, and we receive no funding … and fundraising is how we run the shelter,” Mueller said.

Each year, the fundraiser brings in between $12,000 to $14,000. Mueller said last year’s total expenses topped $120,000 alone. Of that, $47,000 was in vet bills, as animals get their shots updated and get spayed or neutered when they arrive at the shelter, at the very least. Mueller said that leaves each animal around $200 just to bring into the shelter and get ready for adoption.

As adoption fees are only $50 for cats and around $125 to $200 for dogs, the costs don’t match up.

“Right there you know we lose money just bringing the animal into the shelter, and that’s before we feed them,” Mueller said.

“Without the community support we wouldn’t be able to run the shelter,” she added. “It takes money to feed the animals, pay the vet bills.”

She explained many of the animals come from the pound, and though many come in from the streets, Mueller said the majority are not feral.

“It’s quite obvious that most of the animals that we get from the city pound were not just cats running around,” she said. “The vast majority of them were somebody’s pet.”

The shelter gets money through fundraisers other groups put on as well, such as school students and community leaders. Mueller said any donation helps, regardless of if it is monetary or items like food, blankets or toys, or simply the donation of volunteer time.

Mueller got involved about eight years ago when a family pet passed away, and she and her family went to adopt a cat. She was involved ever since.

The pasta dinner and live auction will feature the band Rush Hour before dinner, and the dinner will feature penne pasta with meat sauce, with a vegetarian option, salad, cookies, punch, coffee and water, and a cash bar will be available. Mueller noted there are more than 200 donations for the live auction, with items like wine tasting from Four Daughters Vineyard & Winery, a dog training gift certificate, a week stay at a resort in Sauk Center, an electric guitar donated by Apold Music, a 32-inch high definition television, grills, a Viking’s football basket with autographs and items, several bicycles, artwork donated by the ArtWorks Center, and much more.

“Big items, small items, we’ve got something for everybody,” Mueller said. “We’ve got toys for the kids, we’ve got all kinds of things.”

Organizers hope people not only leave with a sense of giving to a good cause, but also visit the shelter and take home a new family member. The shelter has open houses every Sunday from 2 to 4 p.m. and every Tuesday from 4:30 to 6 p.m., excluding this Sunday as volunteers will be getting ready for the dinner.

“It’s such a worthy cause, it really is,” Mueller said.

Spay and neuter clinic

The Mower County Humane Society and the Austin Vet Clinic have partnered to sponsor a feline spay and neuter clinic from the end of February through March 21. The goal is to spay or neuter 200 Mower County felines. House cats or barn cats will be spayed or neutered at a discounted price of $50 per spay and $40 per neuter. Rabies and distemper shots are also available at $10 each when cats are spayed or neutered. Appointments can be made by calling the Austin Vet Clinic at 433-5225.

MNSnap will also host a spay and neutering clinic on March 17 for both cats and dogs at the Mower County Humane Society. Participants should go to MNSnap.org to sign up.