Pet carnival honors memory of Batavia youth
Submitted by Anderson Animal Shelter
The fifth annual Pet Carnival will be from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday, June 2, at Petco, 1885 S. Randall Road, Geneva. This year’s event will be held in conjunction with the grand reopening of the Petco.
Highlights of the pet carnival include a pet caricature artist, raffle and silent auction. There also will be a trainer on hand to answer any tricky questions pet owners might have, a certified rehabilitation practitioner to do pet massage and more. And again this year, there will be kittens and dogs, expectantly waiting for a new home.
The carnival will celebrate the memory of 10-year-old animal lover Luke Laudolff. From the time he was a very young child, the Batavia youth loved all living creatures. With these interests he was a natural for volunteer work in the Kids’N Kritters program at the Anderson Animal Shelter in South Elgin. The student at Louise White Elementary School in Batavia accidentally drowned on a family vacation five years ago. Now, his parents want his memory and love of animals to live on even though he is gone. Paul and JoAnne Laudolff — along with their friend Bobbi Panter — are throwing a communitywide carnival, celebration, and fundraising event to honor the life and memory of this adventurous little boy. All proceeds go toward Anderson Animal Shelter, a 501(c)(3) charity.
The carnival has raised, on average, about $2,000 each year for Anderson, although last year’s efforts were closer to $3,000. Paul Laudolff was proud to note that three dogs were adopted on-site during the pet carnival last year.
Luke was a boy who dreamed of one day roaming the country in a camper as a wildlife photographer. In addition to celebrating his life this coming June, you can also visit a website dedicated to him and all he loved, at www.lukelaudolff.com. It’s a place where the public can add notes and memories, and the site will be evolving over the next few months to become more interactive and allow people to make donations to the South Elgin shelter in Luke’s name.
Anderson Animal Shelter collaborates with public and private organizations and individuals to shelter, care for and promote the adoption of stray and unwanted companion animals. The shelter advocates for the compassionate and humane treatment of these animals through direct care, humane education and community outreach programs. For information, contact (847) 697-2880 or visit www.andersonanimalshelter.org.