Rock Bottom Rocker sustains windstorm damage
CALEB PEREZ | Hagadone News Network | UPDATED 7 months, 3 weeks AGO
The Rock Bottom Rocker Pet Pantry sustained heavy damage from the Wednesday night windstorm. The strong winds did minor damage to the dog kennels and completely destroyed a kennel that housed special needs chickens.
COURTESY PHOTO/ROCK BOTTOM ROCKER PET PANTRY
Latte, one of the dogs at Rock Bottom Rocker, sits patiently in her kennel Thursday morning. Shawna Kluge, president of Rocky Bottom Rocker, said though the shelter sustained damage, all the animals were unharmed and accounted for in the morning.
SOAP LAKE — The Rock Bottom Rocker Pet Pantry sustained serious damage from the windstorm that occurred Wednesday night, with multiple enclosures damaged or destroyed. Despite the damage sustained, Shawna Kluge, president of Rock Bottom Rocker, said all the animals are safe.
“Although this is devastating, everyone’s okay and that’s what’s important,” said Kluge.
Kluge, along with a group of volunteers had prepared for the coming winds prior to the evening, but she said the force of Mother Nature was still strong enough to do severe damage.
The dog kennels were prepped with tarp coverings to keep the animals sheltered in the windy conditions and were given a sedative the night before to help prevent stress on them, she said. The kennels had no roof damage but many were found missing the vinyl windows that were installed on the side.
The most significant damage was done to the kennel that housed the chicken coop with all the shelter’s special needs livestock birds. Kluge said the birds were spooked and scattered across the property but were all physically unharmed.
A new kennel to house the chicken coop was put en route as soon as possible and a group of volunteers have gathered to help the rebuilding. Now that all the animals are safe and accounted for, the shelter’s president said the focus is on cleaning up and dealing with the aftermath.
Kluge said she appreciates the urgency and speed in which the volunteers in the community stepped in to help the shelter during this process.
“We are blessed,” she said. “We have an amazing following and the community always has our back.”
Rock Bottom Rocker is always open to volunteers, and Kluge said the best way for those interested in helping is to text her at 509-237-5722. Those interested in donating to the shelter can go to rockbottomrocker.org or check out the Rock Bottom Rocker Facebook page.
Latte, one of the dogs at Rock Bottom Rocker, sits patiently in her kennel Thursday morning. Shawna Kluge, president of Rocky Bottom Rocker, said though the shelter sustained damage, all the animals were unharmed and accounted for in the morning.ARTICLES BY CALEB PEREZ
Mavs claim District 5 swim and dive title
MOSES LAKE — The series of successful meets this season fully paid off for the Moses Lake Mavericks girls swim team over the weekend as the girls claimed the District 5 title. By the end of Saturday, the Mavs won the district meet with a score of 466 to Wenatchee's 449. "Just as we expected with Wenatchee, it was close all the way to the end. Could have gone either way, but it went our way," said Mavs Head Coach Tony Preston. "The girls were super excited to get their district championship."
Tigers qualify both boys and girls teams to state
EPHRATA — The Ephrata Tigers Cross Country team continued their successful season in the District 5 and 6 Championships Saturday afternoon. Both the boys and girls had strong races to qualify for state with the boys taking third and the girls taking second. Tigers Head Coach Lyndsy Roberts said because of their high ranking all season the girls team set their sights high on the district meet. Heading into Saturday, they knew their toughest challenge would be against Ellensburg, who has been ranked second in the state all season.
Knights battle into district championships
ROYAL CITY — The second seeded Royal Knights (16-2-1) battled in a tight matchup against the third seeded Naches Valley Saturday afternoon in the district semifinals. Both teams put forward a strong effort, with the Knights securing a 1-0 victory. "We were all putting our heart out in this game and trying our best because we have a really good team this year," said Knights junior Sofia Villafana. "We were just giving it our all." The tone of the game was set from the very start as Royal and Naches Valley went back and forth on their attack. While the Knights controlled the ball for most of the first half, Naches Valley's defense kept things in check.