Rescue Charlie’s Friends hosted the first of what co-founders Janine Hague and husband Lee hope to be an annual event at the nonprofit’s recently donated facility on Saturday, Oct. 22 and Sunday, Oct. 23.

Costumed volunteers directed visitors off Route 1 to Road B in Woolwich and to the Rescue’s property. The  64’x72’ building served as a haunted house for the weekend. Tents were set up to house the bake sale and face painting. Cornhole and other games were set up on the lawn. Many large, portable dog kennels were on the property to create trick-or-treating stations. These were decorated in festive Halloween and fall themes like small houses or shops and manned by volunteers dressed in a variety of costumes and passing out candy.

The Howl-o-ween Spooktacular was the idea of Lotti Ziervogel and Alyssa Rouleau, both adoption coordinators at the Rescue. They wanted to give back to the community by providing a fun outing for families and a safe place for children to trick-or-treat while raising awareness for the Rescue. Volunteers worked to create and host the event.

Hague has been rescuing dogs for over 20 years. Initially fostering and helping out other rescues, she developed a vision for her own rescue organization which she started with her husband in March 2018. “The first two years were tough,” she said, but now with 130-150 volunteers and a newly donated facility, things are running smoothly.

Every five to six weeks, 90-100 dogs come to Rescue Charlie’s Friends from high-kill shelters in Texas and Alabama and are placed in one of 60 foster homes where they are socialized and loved until they are adopted; while staying in foster care, they also receive veterinary care, vaccinations and a health certificate. 

Find information about the dogs and the adoption process at rescuecharliesfriends.org