The Humane Society of Vero Beach and Indian River County put a few of its best tails forward at Cause for Paws last Monday evening, hoping to entice guests to adopt some of their adorable four-legged residents. As guests arrived at the Oak Harbor Club, they had to stroll past some of the cutest puppies, dogs and cats imaginable.
Volunteers temptingly held puppies in their arms and on leashes, each wearing Adopt Me jackets, knowing full well that animal lovers would stop in their tracks when greeted by wagging tails and puppy love. Admiring partiers in cocktail attire willingly received sloppy kisses and patted sweet furry heads.
“I have eight dogs at home and none of them are mine,” laughed Joan Busch, cuddling with a Catahoula-mix puppy, brown with big black spots. “They were all rescues but I don’t own any of them!”
Son David Busch attested that his siblings would bring pets home that would eventually wind up staying at their property, along with other assorted animals.
“I am a chicken farmer, raise horses, there are animals everywhere,” said Joan Busch. “I am not going to adopt this one but I know someone who will.”
Once inside, guests enjoyed cocktails and hors d’oeuvres and perused a large selection of auction items, frequently checking their BidPal devices to see if they’d been outbid. And during dinner, the M.I.T. Glee Club serenated the crowd of roughly 300 guests.
Live auction items ranged from a South African safari photo shoot to a private dinner party for ten prepared by HSVBIRC CEO Chalmers Morse, with development director Russ Isaac and board president Fritz Spitzmiller serving as bartenders.
“It is all about education,” said Morse. “We need people to spay and neuter their pets and know that adopting an animal is a life-long commitment. Some shelter dogs have lived in six homes over the course of their life. So we want to teach people their responsibility.”
In addition to protection and adoption, the Humane Society offers low-cost pet health care, training and educational programs, and numerous other services; many geared toward helping animals remain with owners who might be struggling financially.
“It’s not just the animals that are great; it is also the incredible people who work there too. I cannot believe how many times people look at my dogs and are shocked that they are both shelter dogs,” said Leslie McGuirk, a well-known children’s book author whose books revolve around canine characters.
McGuirk, who previously served on the shelter’s advisory board and is owned by two HSVBIRC rescue dogs, said there is a misconception that shelter animals are all damaged in some way, either physically or psychologically. “So many of the animals there are really magnificent and the Humane Society does a great job of taking care of them and giving them training,” she added.
Happy tail ending: Joan Busch, totally smitten by the little Catahoula puppy, adopted her as her own, and David Busch reports that “Leila” is already happily at home, playing with their other dogs.
Six of the seven dogs at the event were adopted, but they represent only a fraction of the 7,000 animals that make their way to the shelter each year, all looking for a loving, forever home.
