By RAELYNN RICARTE
News staff writer
May 23, 2007

Camille Hukari wore her “I love my dog and my dog loves me” T-shirt to Thursday’s dedication of an animal shelter named after her parents.

She said the ribbon-cutting ceremony for the Ross and Daphne Hukari Animal Shelter fulfilled their wishes. The elder Hukaris, both of whom are now deceased, left a significant amount of money in their wills for construction of the facility.

“This is a great day. It’s a vision my folks had — a place where dogs could be adopted and find a good home,” said Hukari.

The shelter in the Odell business park will not only be used to impound stray dogs, but find them a new place to live. The county has appointed an Adopt-A-Dog committee to match the animals with new owners, and then make follow-up contact to see how the bonding process is going.

Serving with the advisory group is: Linda Adams, Phil Chadwick, Anita Grinich, Susan Kent, Cindy Stephens, Judy Dutcher and David Stauffacher.

“I don’t know if we would be standing here today if it weren’t for the Hukari family,” said Casey DePriest, the county’s animal control officer at the May 17 ceremony.

Neither she nor David Meriwether, county administrator, will disclose the specific dollar amount of the Hukari donation. The money, said Meriwether, did enable the county to purchase property and move ahead with its building plans. In total, the government agency compiled $500,000 from fund-raisers, general fund dollars and private contributions.

The new tenants at 3910 Heron Drive will be strays picked up by DePriest, who will determine their eligibility for adoption. The site is not available for drop-offs and has 22 kennels available for animals that are caught running loose or deemed to be dangerous.

The 3,100-square-foot building has been designed for energy efficiency by architect Carl Perron and Dean Guess, director of the county’s parks and building department. A tankless water heater provides for grooming needs.

Extra insulation has been placed in the walls and ceiling to keep the kennels and office spaces cozy. Runs in the back of the building provide outdoor space room for the animals to exercise.

Hood River County Commission Chair Ron Rivers said citizens and officials have spent 10 years trying to address the need for an animal shelter. He said that need has now been met.

“This is a process that has taken quite a bit of time to come to fruition. But I think we can be darned proud of it as a community,” said Rivers.