Students gathered around a circular cage that held a miniature brown terrier and a black-and-white-spotted pointer. The puppies paced back and forth in their cage, occasionally stopping to let someone passing by pet them.
“Can I hold him?” junior Jenna Septer said.
She grabbed the terrier out of the cage and started walking around with him.
Next to the cage was a table set up with a sign-up sheet, cupcakes and stickers. The table was set up by the Animal Alliance club to recruit new members at Club Day.
“We really wanted to get the club out there, and we wanted to know how to get people’s attention, and we , puppies,” co vice president Kenzie Iverson said. “We called up the lady who runs the organization, and we if we could borrow a couple puppies. I talked to Dr. Harrington, and he approved us to have two puppies. It was really awesome so many people were crowded around them. Lots of people left us their numbers. It was very successful.”
Iverson joined the club the previous year when her friend Mathilde Guglielmi asked her if she would like to run the club.
“I got really excited about and really got into it this year. I’m trying to make it more popular because last year I didn’t even know about it, and I love animals,” Iverson said.
The club meets every other Friday at 7:10 a.m. in room 238. The members of the club plan on having multiple fundraisers throughout the year, including bake sales and a large fundraiser at the end of the school year, consisting of a walk and live music. All proceeds will go toward local animal shelters. Not only do they hope to help the shelters but also promote the club as well.
“I will try to leave in a spot where it’s popular enough so there is no way they can’t continue it ,” Iverson said. “I’m hoping to keep in touch with all of because I think it’s going to be a great thing if it continues.”
Outside of school Iverson volunteers at the Kansas City Zoo where she cleans out the exhibits. She volunteers with the organization Team Habitat the second Saturday of every month for half the day.
“I get to see things that regular guests don’t get to see,” Iverson said. “There was a baby hippo born this summer, and we got to see that. We also got to see the new tiger exhibit before anyone else did, so that was cool.”