I have been volunteering at Harvest Hills Animal Shelter for six years, and somewhere along the way I decided I could do more. Founding Western Maine Pet Project Inc. was the answer.

Out of five pets, Roo, an extraordinarily light-footed black cat, knowledgeable in the game of fetch, is the only one not acquired by way of adoption (though he was a rescue). Adoption to me was the only way to go, and I believe animal shelters and rescues should (in a world of puppy mills and cat overpopulation) be the first stop for anyone looking for a pet.

My loveable “misfits,” without fail, make every day more enjoyable for me and my husband. Occasionally, though not intentionally, I have imagined what their lives would be like if they were still in shelters.

These absolutely irreplaceable organizations do everything they can to care for down-and-out animals waiting for their forever homes, but one would have to be blind to not see that every animal sitting in a shelter, any shelter, wishes he was anywhere but there…anywhere he is free…anywhere he is loved 24/7…not just during business hours. It is this grim reality that caused me to think about thinking outside of the box.

Western Maine Pet Project Inc. is in business to help fund projects and programs to make shelter life a little more comfortable and happy and just a little bit easier on the animals. Though it is not against spending money on things like cat toys, dog beds and litter boxes, the organization first wants to pay for things like constructing a visitation/respite room at Harvest Hills.

This room will provide a large, safe area for dogs to romp and play, even during inclement weather. After the never-ending winter we just experienced, this room seems even more necessary to provide kenneled dogs a place to run free when the outdoor yards have five feet of snow in them, or the skies have just opened up. This room will also encourage more people to volunteer. For example, a dog walker may not walk dogs in the rain, but can still play with dogs in the visitation room. And what a difference that would mean to the dog or dogs that would have otherwise spent most of their day inside a kennel. The benefits of this room are many. Dogs and cats can enjoy the safe, quite space away from their kennels and crowded cat condos.

If you would like to learn more about the projects and programs the Western Maine Pet Project would like to fund, visit www.westernmainepetproject.com. Donations are welcome. Checks and money orders can be made to WMPP, Inc. and mailed to P.O. Box 397, Bridgton, Maine 04009.

The Western Maine Pet Project is also selling raffle tickets for a shopping spree at Tony’s Food Land in Naples. This is the first big fundraiser to help make the visitation/respite room a reality. Tickets are sold on weekends at Tony’s and are $5 each or three for $12 and you must be present to win.

The drawing will be held Saturday, May 24 at 9:45 a.m., and the winner will have two minutes to shop for free, excluding beer, wine, cigarettes, lottery tickets and antique replica carts. There will also be drawings for great door prizes, including a scenic flight over the Maine coast.

Monetary donations are crucial for animal shelters and rescues to operate. Donating your time is also an invaluable way to help the animals. If you are interested in volunteering at Harvest Hills (or your local animal shelter), please give them a call. A lot of people say they could never do it because it would be too hard on them to see hundreds of animals waiting to be adopted. Those at Western Maine Pet Project implore you to get past this rationale and think about how hard it is on the animals when there are no volunteers. Think outside of your box.