Why Fashion For Paws Means So Much To Me

As someone who thinks that dogs are the gift we don’t deserve, I cannot contain my excitement about attending Fashion For Paws benefiting the Humane Rescue Alliance this weekend! Fashion For Paws is an annual runway show featuring pups and their fabulous owners, plus cocktails, hors d’oeuvres, and a giant dance party afterwards — pretty much my dream event. I’ve always wanted to go and finally have the chance this year thanks to Undeniable Boutique and their animal rights advocate founder and owner, Alicia, who invited me to attended the event on behalf of the boutique and the Mosaic District because of my mutual love for animals and the HRA. Alicia and her gorgeous dog Delta will be strutting their stuff on the runway tomorrow and are SO close to reaching their fundraising goal of $12K! If you’re interested in donating, you can check out their page here.

Seriously, how cute are they?

Tickets for the event are only $100, which is a pretty fabulous deal considering you get an open bar, small bites, and live entertainment, and there are still a few general admission tickets left! You can scoop them up here. 

You’re probably wondering why I’m making such a fuss about this event, so I wanted to take the time to tell you about my personal history with the HRA and why this event and supporting the foundation mean so much to me. 

When I first moved to DC, my roommate Sharlene and I immediately bonded over our love of dogs and devised a plan to become fosters for a local rescue so we could enjoy the company of pups without the financial burden and long term responsibility. One bottle of wine (…maybe two) and an application later, and we were signed up for foster orientation at the Washington Humane Society. I’m fairly certain we both cried after orientation because the sheer amount of dogs at the shelter was overwhelming and we felt so terrible that we couldn’t take them all with us. A week later, we brought home our first two foster pups and in less than a year were able to foster 15 dogs and help them find their forever homes. While we spent a LOT of time, energy, and our own money while fostering, these dogs saw us through heartbreaks, career changes, and overall just trying to figure out that whole adulting thing. Their companionship was seriously invaluable — who doesn’t want unconditional love!? Aside from that, helping a terrified dog come out of its shell and find a family to call their own made all the work it all worth it, especially when we get to see them bouncing around the city with their forever moms and dads, happy as can be. Check out some of these unreal foster transformations! (Gotta credit Shar for these.)

Due to some life changes (new roommate, new job, selling my car, etc.) I took a hiatus from volunteering and the Washington Humane Society merged with Washington Animal Rescue League to become the Humane Rescue Alliance, the largest all access shelter in DC.

In 2017 I decided I needed to start giving back more heavily so I signed up to start volunteering with the newly rebranded HRA and couldn’t be happier I got back into it. I now spend time helping out at the shelter with dog walking and typical chores like laundry and dishwashing, but it’s definitely worth it knowing I’m contributing to the animals wellbeing and helping out the insanely dedicated and caring staff. 

If you’re interesting in volunteering at the shelter or as a foster, please feel free to reach out and I can answer any questions you might have! If you want to help but don’t have the extra time, donating to Fashion For Paws is a great first step! 

Of course, I had to share a few of my other favorite foster photos. Give your pups extra kisses for me tonight!