Second Chance: Young Local Animal-Activists Featured in National Film Festival

14 Jul Second Chance: Young Local Animal-Activists Featured in National Film Festival

Tickets for the virtual Bow Wow Film Festival are available now for only $16 for the entire household to view. Access pass can be used at any time between July 24th – August 7th. Purchase tickets and view the Bow Wow Film Festival trailer at www.bowwowfilmfest.com. Contact Second Chance Humane Society for details at 970.626.2273 or visit adoptmountainpets.org/events.

Don’t Hurt Dogs team

Second Chance Humane Society is hosting a whole new Bow Wow Film Festival this month. The exciting news is that a local youth group of young animal activists will be featured in this nation-wide film event. Also new is an on-line auction held in lieu of the silent and live auction that typically accompanies Second Chance’s fundraising event.

Emotionally affected and inspired last year by the heroic recovery of a young homeless dog who’d been shot and left for dead, as well as another dog hospitalized from ingesting poison, three Ridgway youth decided they needed to help stop the hurtful treatment of dogs. Sunny Wick, Dory Wick and Braeden Jenkins, ages ranging from 9 to 11, formed “Don’t Hurt Dogs.”

The trio recruited friends to join in and together they raised money by selling crafts and treats at local happenings. Don’t Hurt Dogs managed to donate over $400 last year to Second Chance for medical care for injured homeless pets. They also spread their message in creative ways, including a school presentation. They even built a website. Then they decided to submit a short film about their mission to a few film festivals.

Don’t Hurt Dogs was super excited to learn that the jury of the Bow Wow Film Festival had officially selected their film, the first-ever youth-entered doc, for the 2020-2021 festival, which kicks off its 7th year this month.

Bow Wow is an innovative, traveling dog-themed film festival now available from the comfort of your own home. Through the art of short film, Bow Wow celebrates the human-canine bond and the many marvelous ways these beloved animals inspire us, care for us and bring us joy.

“These uplifting and inspirational films remind us of the importance of pets in our lives, which now more than ever we are truly realizing, shared Second Chance executive director Kelly Goodin.

Bow Wow went virtual as of last March, which actually gives the Don’t Hurt Dog’s film greater exposure as viewers don’t have to attend a bricks-and-mortar venue to watch films. Second Chance Humane Society is hosting the festival virtually from July 24 – August 7.

Bow Wow partners with animal welfare organizations across the country to enthusiastic audiences in cities that include Austin, TX, Minneapolis, MN, Denver, CO and San Francisco, CA to raise money and awareness for animal welfare organizations. The films are crafted by filmmakers who are great storytellers, animators and artists, as evidenced by 90 minutes of award-winning, funny, and poignant shorts. This year, the shorts will take you around the world meeting pets and people who are making a difference in powerful and sometimes humorous ways.

Typically Second Chance’s hosted Bow Wow events are big fundraisers with silent and live auctions. Given social distancing restrictions, Second Chance is moving its auction online, running concurrently throughout the two weeks it is hosting the online Bow Wow Film Festival.

The auction features a variety of artwork, gift certificates to your favorite restaurants, jewelry, self-care packages, adventure packages, the best kid’s birthday party ever, sporting gear, fun pet gear, and much more. Bidding will start and end with the Bow Wow Film Festival. Watch for details at: adoptmountainpets.org/events.

All proceeds from the film festival and auction will directly benefit Second Chance’s broad range of life-saving programs and services it has provided in Ouray, Montrose & San Miguel counties for the past 26 years.

“Our mission of connecting pets, people and community has never been more needed and this is a fun and easy opportunity to support our mission and programs in a responsible ‘safer-at-home’ format. And we are delighted to be kicking off this new festival with these amazing local youth-activists being spotlighted,” concluded Goodin.