Puppy love: Clinton pet center raises funds for rescue animals

On a recent Wednesday afternoon, two very sleepy puppies calmly entertained small children visiting Critters and Co. Pet Center and Rescue.

Since the start of 2024, the Clinton-based rescue operation run by Debbie Wilkie and her employees has provided refuge for a total of 225 animals, including 97 dogs and puppies.

Behind the cute and fluffy exterior, however, lies some darkness. Clancy and Cierra, the 9-week-old mutts that made their debut in Critters and Co. this week, were found for sale outside of a Walmart in Moses Lake. They were in poor health at the time of their discovery by another animal rescue operation.

Sad beginnings such as these are not uncommon in the realm of animal rescue. Many puppies have come to South Whidbey from Eastern Washington, where, according to Wilkie, pet owners are not as vigilant about spaying and neutering their dogs. This has led to an explosion of puppies that desperately need homes, and owners who are not able to care for them.

The South Whidbey nonprofit organization is hosting its second annual dinner fundraiser, where attendees can learn more about this crisis from one of the speakers with Animal Rescue Friends Society of Grant County, Washington. Attendees can also expect to hear from local animal rescue organizations such as Ballydidean Farm Sanctuary in Clinton and Because We Matter in Anacortes, as well as Love a Cat Charity, which helps control the growth of Hawaii’s cat population.

The fundraiser begins at 5 p.m. on Saturday, April 6 in Freeland Hall. Tickets cost $75 and can be purchased by calling 360-341-1456. The evening includes a silent auction and fare from Ikaika Bistro will be served.

Money raised from the fundraiser will support the rescue’s spay and neuter program and the purchase of a vehicle which will provide transportation for animals.

Wilkie’s attention was brought to the pressing issue across the state when her husband and son were staying in the Yakima area and saw feral dogs running around. They brought one of the dogs home before Wilkie officially started her rescue operation.

“It’s like a Sarah McLachlan commercial, where they’re tied up to little chains and there’s just like pens of puppies,” she said of the situation in Eastern Washington.

In the past few months Critters and Co. has welcomed a record-breaking number of pups. And the community has responded, whether through adoption or fostering. About 30 different people currently volunteer to foster puppies and kittens.

Adoptions are frequent. Adoption fees include up-to-date vaccinations, defleaing, deworming and sterilization. Kittens, cats and dogs cost $150, while puppies cost $350. Critters and Co. also has a discount program for senior citizens to adopt a senior animal.

“We barely go a day without something getting adopted,” Wilkie said.

Earlier this year, a pernicious rumor made its rounds on social media that Critters and Co. supports puppy mills. Wilkie swiftly quashed this piece of misinformation by directly addressing it on the rescue’s Facebook page. In reality, Critters and Co. works closely with other rescue operations around the state to take in animals when needed.

“We take care of our community first, but if we have the space and the means, we may as well keep helping instead of staying stagnant,” Wilkie said.