LUNENBURG COUNTY, Va. -- Lunenburg County animal control officer Ray Elliott is once again spending his Thanksgiving in the dog house.
Elliott is not in trouble with his family.
For nearly a decade, Elliott has raised money and awareness for his rural shelter through his annual Ruffin-It fundraiser.
Elliott spends 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. in a dog kennel on Thanksgiving Day with no food or water.
Over the past nine years, he’s raised thousands of dollars for his often underfunded shelter that doesn’t have the resources of shelters in bigger cities.
Elliott says 2024 has been especially tough on both him and his county's animals.
This year alone, the shelter has taken in more than 400 cats and dogs.
"It's been really, really busy," Elliott explained. "The overwhelming calls that's been coming in, and it's not just our county, but other counties are just getting bombarded with calls about strays and animals that people cannot take care of anymore. So they contact animal control for assistance, and we do the best that we can, by offering help and moving animals or get them adopted, whatever possible way we can help."
Elliott says he wants to avoid animals being surrendered by loving owners because they can’t afford to take care of them. He noted the shelter is there to help with food to get by for a short time because they would rather your pet stay at home with you than end up in the shelter.
"The only way we can win our battle is if we can actually make awareness of how important it is," he said. "Assistance is out there, day in and day out, to get your animals spayed or neutered, to help take the stress off our shelters, take the stress off the rescue groups that's involved in helping us to move our animals."
With Christmas right around the corner, Elliott also wants to remind people getting a pet is a lifelong commitment, meaning you need to be prepared to care for that animal for its entire life.
He encourages people to drop by the shelter with donations on Thanksgiving Day or just pop in and say hello to keep him company.
If you would like to help Ray reach his $15,000 goal for this year’s fundraiser, you can donate here. Be sure to mention "Ruffin-It" in the donation line.
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Man who spent Thanksgiving in dog run raises $15,000 for rural Va. shelter
