The Wood River Valley loves its animals, and what better way to celebrate them than to support the Dogs Days of Summer annual benefit for the Animal Shelter of the Wood River Valley.
In these tough financial times, pets have felt the pangs of economic change. The no-kill shelter near Hailey has created several programs to help, including a partnership with the Hunger Coalition for its Paws for Hunger program, which assists people struggling to afford food for their family pets.
The annual fundraising event will be held on Friday, July 17, at 5:30 p.m. at the Trail Creek Pavilion in Sun Valley. Tickets are $150 for the dinner and auction.
The live auction will open with three original paintings by a local artist of national renown, Theodore Waddell, featuring his whimsical dogs and cat. Waddell celebrates 50 years of painting and said he is donating his work because he will do whatever he can to help.
"I think it's one of the most important causes in the valley," Waddell said. "It's important right now to pay attention to animals. In times of economic stress, animals really suffer."
Another animal lover's auction item includes a trip to New York City with a backstage pass to the Westminster Dog Show and an introduction to David Frey, the voice of Westminster.
The Friesen Gallery has provided a martini party for auction featuring vodka donated by Idaho's award-winning Koenig Distillery and scrumptious food by Judith McQueen. Other auction packages include a week in Provence, France, at a private villa, golf packages to Scottsdale, Ariz., and Palm Desert, Calif,, and the ultimate "staycation," the Sawtooth Mountain Getaway.
Talented Wood River Valley craftspeople, woodworkers, stockbrokers, artists and friends of the shelter have spent the past couple of months creating clever one-of-a-kind birdhouses that will also be auctioned at the benefit. In previous years, the birdhouses have raised money to offset the annual expense of the low-cost spay and neuter clinics offered to the public by the shelter.
Sun Valley's ski-clan patriarch Roger Crist created a birdhouse from driftwood he collected at Stinson Beach, Calif. A 10-time winner of the Baldy Hill Climb, Adrienne Leugers, fashioned a "Hurricane Warning Shack" from antique cedar and recycled printing plates. John Beehler, known for his finely crafted bowls made from exotic woods, created a birdhouse entitled "Knotville," a reference to the knotty wood he used to build a functional, yet fun birdhouse. Cindy Hamlin, famous for her dogwood twig birdhouses, donated one from her new series named for Baldy ski runs. Finally, artist and middle school teacher Bob Dix donated a birdhouse with the quirky name "Robin & Son Crusoe."
Hundreds of other hand-selected silent-auction items include "Doggie Bags" available for $50, $75 or $100. Each bag contains gifts and gift certificates of equal or greater value. In addition, volunteers will be selling raffle tickets at the event for a $10,000 Atkinsons' Market gift certificate. The tickets are $20 or six tickets for $100.
For details, visit animalshelterwrv.org or call 788-4351.
Sabina Dana Plasse: splasse@mtexpress.com
“Hawaiian Hut” by Jack McCabe is one of the many creative and anticipated auction items at the Dogs Days of Summer annual benefit for the Animal Shelter of the Wood River Valley on Friday, July 17. Photo by
