LARAS house “Spay”ghetti (No Balls) Dinner planned for Saturday in Groesbeck

New leaders of Limestone Animal Rescue Adoption Shelter (LARAS) House are looking to do big things at the shelter this year, but are currently beyond max capacity for animals in need of adoption. With nearly 100 canines and a few dozen felines, LARAS is hoping to garner some community support and involvement through its annual Spay-ghetti Dinner, which hasn’t been held in recent years due to COVID.

“We make a point to take care of medical stuff as soon as we get a dog; if they’re over a certain age, we’re going to get them spayed and neutered before they’re adopted out of here,” said LARAS president, John Liscano. “The premise behind that is: We’re overrun and we’re inundated with dogs. People, be responsible and spay or neuter your dogs because this is what happens when you don’t.”

LARAS House has been serving Limestone County (and many neighboring counties) as a non-profit since forming in 2008. In recent years, the number of animals dropped off at the property have skyrocketed, and although they originally only accepted adult dogs and cats, the shelter has been forced to make room for puppies and kittens as well. The logistics of feeding, housing and caring for so many animals may seem overwhelming, but it is accomplished through a joint effort with assistance from key players.

“S&S Ag cut us a pretty good deal on pricing for dog feed, and my vice president, Dawn Traylor, is a flight nurse, so she handles a lot of our medical stuff,” Liscano said. “We get the medicines that we need that we can administer ourselves that don’t need a vet signature, so that saves some time and effort on our end.”

Liscano is currently overseeing a couple of grounds projects at the shelter that will provide kittens and puppies designated outdoor spaces to lounge and play, but he has grander ambitions for a new facility.

“This place isn’t state of the art; it isn’t fancy, but we’re doing the best we can with it,” Liscano said. “My goal for next year is to have a bigger fundraiser so we can raise money to build another one of these semi-covered structures for pens up the hill over there. I’ve got plans in my truck for an actual facility like you would see at the Houston Animal Shelter; office buildings, a medical unit, and a climate-controlled shelter, to name a few things, but we need some support to do these things.”

Because LARAS is so crowded and animals are coming in faster than they’re leaving, the organization relies on individuals to foster animals and sometimes has to turn to other shelters for help. They are working to be more active on Facebook, and Marketing Director Lindsay Marino is using the platform to share pics and info about individual animals that need a forever home in hopes of catching someone’s eye online.

“When it comes to adopting, we see people come from Dallas, Houston, even San Antonio to get a dog from us, and we’ll gladly continue doing that,” Liscano said. “If somebody drives from Dallas and pays $125 for a dog, they’re going to keep it, and that same dog won’t get dumped back here.”

With so many animals being dropped off at the shelter, LARAS is urging pet owners to get their animals spayed or neutered to help limit the problem of overpopulation. This is the underlying reason for their Spay-ghetti Dinner event on Saturday, Sept. 25: all money raised will go toward the costs of spaying/neutering shelter dogs.

“This year’s Spay-ghetti Dinner is being held in memory and honor of Doctor Ric Bennett, who passed away last year. He was a big help to the shelter and very supportive of what we’re trying to do here, so we hated to lose him.”

Frankie’s Italian Restaurant of Mexia will be cooking up and serving the “spay”ghetti dinner (no meatballs) with salad, garlic bread and dessert for the BYOB event at the Groesbeck Convention Center.

A guided fishing trip, rifle, and other experiences or items will be awarded to the highest bidders in the silent auction. LARAS House is also happy to accept donated funds or auction items from any individuals or businesses who want to contribute before this event takes place.

Dinner tickets to attend the event are available for $10, but if you’ve already got plans, you can still support LARAS House by purchasing a to-go plate or donating. To purchase a ticket or review the event info, check out the LARAS House Facebook Page.

“It’s nice being able to adopt a dog out that’s already spayed or neutered and chipped,” Liscano said. “A lot of the smaller shelters like us don’t do that, but we absolutely need community support to continue servicing animals the way we do.”