Enthusiastic revelers donned their faux fur, ears and whiskers to raise funds and awareness last Friday for the Animal Shelter of the Wood River Valley. While not everyone dressed like their dog or cat, the over 200 guests at the second annual Fur Ball all had a great time dancing to DJ McClain and bands, The Heaters and Up a Creek.
Sheila Liermann, Fur Ball event chair, said, “We’re so grateful to Whiskey Jacques for providing such a great venue and to all the entertainers for their time and talent. It’s wonderful to have a fun event that is accessible to the whole community!” People of all ages (over 21, of course) came out to support the Shelter. Emcees Grady Burnett and Bellevue Mayor Chris Koch educated and entertained the crowd between sets.
Several costumed party animals were awarded with prizes for their awesome outfits. Best dog costume went to Jeff London, bassist for Up a Creek. Best cat was a tie between Jinny Weatherly and shelter volunteer Juliette Gutierrez. And a spontaneous “Best in Show” prize was awarded to Whitney Werth for her ironic and hilarious Cruella DeVille! (Though Whitney swears Cruella completed rehab and only wears faux Dalmatian these days).
Photos from left to right: Jinny and Karl Weatherly show off their feline characteristics, Whitney Werth as Cruella DeVille, and Shelter volunteer Juliette Gutierrez.
The first “no kill” shelter in Idaho, the Animal Shelter of the Wood River Valley promotes companion animal welfare by providing temporary shelter for homeless animals, adopting them to qualified homes and reducing animal abuse, neglect and overpopulation through community education and spay/neuter services. More than 90 percent of its funding comes from private donations and individuals. Community support and events like the Fur Ball are vital to its mission.
In addition to sheltering an average of over 60 animals a day, the organization also provides vital programs and services like the no-cost spay/neuter clinic, Paws for Hunger (with The Hunger Coalition), Paws on Location (animals visit with residents of Blaine Manor), Hikin’ Buddies, and more. In it’s 29-year history, the shelter has found homes for over 10,000 animals and improved the quality of life in our community for both people and their pets.
Additional information is available at www.animalshelterwrv.org. To see all the photos from the Fur Ball, visit the Shelter’s Facebook page.
