Guests received enthusiastic, but wet, greetings by well-behaved dogs as they made their way into the Oak Harbor Club for the Cause for Paws fundraiser to benefit the Humane Society of Vero Beach and Indian River County.
The pups wagged their way into the hearts of attendees – a furry reminder of the need to support the Humane Society and its efforts to provide humane care and shelter for homeless animals, and to provide a variety of services and programs.
As guests dined, images of shelter animals tugged at heartstrings, eliciting oohs and aahs as dogs frolicked in a pool, peacocks preened, pigs snuffled, and kittens, well, kittens just melted hearts with their innocent blue eyes.
Wendy Trimarche, board president, welcomed everyone back to the first in-person Cause for Paws since 2019.
“This is a lovely tribute to the love and compassion that we all have toward our [shelter] animals, the animals in our lives, and our community,” she said.
“It’s been a tough couple of years to keep our organization going with this pandemic.
Everybody has really stepped up to make that happen. We’re celebrating the impact of what your generosity allows us to do for the animals and for our community.”
Kate Meghji, executive director, noted that the Humane Society accomplished a great deal despite COVID challenges.
“Last year, we launched our Affordable Pet Care program, generously funded by PetSmart Charities, to ensure that pet parents in Fellsmere and Gifford would have access to extremely low-cost services for their pets.”
As a result, families were able to keep their beloved pets at home, rather than surrender them to the shelter.
“By ensuring that every loved and wanted pet stays with their people, our shelter is able to provide even more to the animals who need a little more TLC before they find their new families,” said Meghji.
Last year the Humane Society placed 1,798 homeless animals, celebrated a 90 percent save rate, fostered 635 animals, and cared for 3,107 animals.
Susan Schuyler Smith, steering committee chair and immediate past president, introduced the guest speaker, Deborah Turcott, founder and principal of Oriana Solutions.
“Deb leads a team of highly experienced consultants in their collective effort to strengthen communities by advancing the work of nonprofits. The partnership-oriented, solution-driven firm centers itself on the relentless pursuit of forward-thinking and action-driven strategy,” said Smith.
Turcott praised the Humane Society and its supporters for their part in “the single greatest success that animal welfare has ever seen. It wasn’t that long ago that countless animals were losing their lives in shelters. What used to be distinct overpopulation of homeless animals, today is manageable because of you.”
Turcott related that the biggest crisis animals currently face is the lack of accessible veterinary care. By providing low-cost pet services, the Humane Society has reduced the number of animals in the shelter, which has enabled it to address the needs of other animals.
She suggested that the time has come to shift the focus to “what exists right here in your backyard,” referring to local wildlife and agriculture animals.
After her impassioned speech, guests bid on an impressive selection of live-auction and raffle items before closing the evening with a paddle raise to support the animals.
For more information, visit hsvb.org.
Photos provided
