The Belle of the Fur Ball

Last weekend, my humans and I put on our best party attire (in my case, a fancy new collar created just for me by my mommy) and we headed to the Fur Ball. Billed as Baton Rouge’s premier pet-friendly gala, the Fur Ball benefits the Companion Animal Alliance of Baton Rouge, a nonprofit that operates our local animal shelter and seeks to reduce animal euthanasia and find permanent homes for dogs and cats. How could we possibly have passed on such a great event for such a great cause?

The evening started with a walk down the red carpet. (I guess they didn’t dare opt for a green carpet; that might have confused some of the guests!) I’m quite accustomed to flashing cameras–it seems my mommy always has that crazy camera of hers in my face–so I struck a few of my best poses and really showed off my canine couture. Somewhere around 75 dogs attended the event, and we spent a little while meeting and greeting (as only dogs should) while our humans enjoyed cocktails and perused the silent auction items. For the pups, there were plenty of huge water bowls throughout the ballroom. I will admit that I drank . . . a lot. It seemed as if every time we passed one of those water bowls, I had to have a little sip . . . or a big gulp. When it was time for the human dinner, some dogs went to day care and others stayed with their humans. I stayed with my humans and enjoyed a very nice nap.

After dinner it was time for more mingling. I found myself quite smitten with a couple of handsome German Shepherds. This is Dutch and he is currently being fostered by Red Stick German Shepherds, an organization of volunteers dedicated to finding forever homes for this special breed. Dutch came to his foster home a little thin, but he has put on some weight and I must say that he is looking quite fabulous, and he is super sweet. I’m keeping my paws crossed that he finds a very special family that will love, love, love him forever. I know my wish will come true.

This is Casper, a very lucky German Shepherd rescue who has found a wonderful and loving forever home. Casper was wearing a little note politely asking partygoers not to touch him. Casper is blind and unexpected touches can startle him, but once he is comfortable and expecting to be touched he loves it just as much as I do. My mommy was so proud of me with Casper. I was super sweet, calm, and gentle. I really enjoyed getting to know Casper, and I am so happy that he has such a great home.

After visiting with Dutch and Casper, I hit the dance floor with my daddy. It was so much fun to see so many dogs and their humans cutting a rug–or more accurately slipping and sliding on a temporary parquet wood floor. My daddy and I had the very best time.

When we got home, mommy and daddy shared with me some of their impressions from the evening, and now I am sharing those impressions with you:

• There were far more large dogs than my humans expected to see, and all the dogs were on their very best behavior.
• All of the humans were happy and generous with their silent- and live-auction bids. Perhaps all fundraising events should consider allowing people to bring their pets.
• All the humans were eager to talk to each other, but none of them wanted to talk about themselves. They wanted to talk about all of the dogs.

The Fur Ball was super fun and super exhausting. Not long after I had removed my pretty party collar, I stretched out on the floor, propped my head up on a bookshelf, closed my eyes, drifted off to la la land . . . and had sweet dreams of Dutch and Casper and all the homeless animals who will benefit from the fun we had.

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