Pictured: Adoptable beer, produced by Motorworks Brewing, is designed to help shelter dogs find their furever homes. Photo courtesy of HSSC.

The Humane Society of Sarasota County (HSCC) held the first-ever Ruffs & Fluffs Pup Crawl on Saturday, September 24th and it received a very paws-itive response from all two-legged and four-legged fans.

Participating bars/restaurants included Evie’s Tavern & Grill on Main Street; The Gator Club; Joe’s; Pizza N’ Brew; and Raffurty’s Bar & Grill. The overall event was put on by Motorworks Brewing. All of these establishments are pet friendly and supportive of the HSSC mission. Many of them have also held fundraisers for HSCC in the past.

The fun began at Evie's Tavern & Grill where the 39 participants met to register. The registration fee included VIP access into the bars and one Motorworks beer at each stop. There were lots of games and prizes and college football playing on televisions throughout.

For those looking for a new fur baby, there were adoptable dogs at the beginning of the event. Former Sarasota Mayor Hagen Brody brought his dog, Rudy, an HSSC alum who was adopted exactly one year ago. Brody attended HSSC's grand opening on September 24, 2021, where he spotted this cute little puppy named Preston. HSSC Executive Director, Anna Gonce, was fostering Preston and considering adopting him, but when Brody showed interest in Preston, she conceded; however, she did [jokingly] tell people, “The Mayor stole my puppy.”

And the best part of all, $1,870 was raised to benefit the shelter animals at HSSC.

Senior Director of Philanthropy, Autumn Steiner was delighted by the outcome of the pup crawl. "We love events like these because they expose so many people to our mission, and they’re just fun in general," she says. "It seemed like everyone we talked to—not just participants—had a story about their own pets and how much they mean to them. It was a heartwarming day all around."

If you missed this pup crawl, you're in luck because there will be another one on Saturday, October 8th. This one will be on Siesta Key, though, not downtown. HSSC will also be holding a family-and-pet-friendly 5K and 1-mile fun run/walk inside the gates of SRQ Airport on November 12, 2022, called Vets, Pets & Jets. Details about those events are available at hssc.org/get-involved/events.

Pictured: Adoptable beer, produced by Motorworks Brewing, is designed to help shelter dogs find their furever homes. Photo courtesy of HSSC.