On Saturday, Feb. 15, the Merrill Area Girl Scouts held their 25th annual “Love-A-Pet” event. Girl Scout troops from Merrill, Wausau, Tomahawk and several surrounding areas attended this fun filled celebration of animals.
Wisconsin River Pro Rodeo Queen Lillie Bartelt spoke to the scouts about her position as rodeo queen and her love of animals. She brought along several of her interesting pets including a parrot and some sugar gliders. Officer Troy Deiler and police dog “Leo” educated the scouts on the work that they do with the Marathon County Sheriff’s Department. Rose Wendorf and Jill Zwirchitz spoke to the scouts about herding dogs and gave a demonstration of skills assisted by “Zippy” and “Butch.” Finally, Cassie from the Lincoln County Humane Society brought a recently rescued puppy to meet the scouts and spoke to them about the shelter and adopting a pet from the humane society.
The girl scouts attending provided a large collection of donations for the humane society including pet food, cleaning and care items as part of this yearly service project. They also baked peanut butter flavored dog treats to donate to the shelter. This annual event is coordinated by mother-daughter team Doreen Pugh and Amy Bergmann. In honor of the 25th anniversary, the Merrill Area Girl Scouts made a cash donation to the Lincoln County Humane Society in their honor.