Yappy Hour is for Pooches and Their People
One of the fun and creative ways the Asheville Humane Society raises money is a series of Yappy Hours each year. Yappy Hours are happy hours for dogs and their humans held a various locations in Asheville through the warm weather months. Yappy Hours feature mouthwatering arf d’ouevres from local dog bakeries, Three Dog Bakery and Bonafide Bakery, and thirst quenching doggie daiquiris for the canine guests. For a small donation, the human companions can relax and socialize while listening to music and sampling vegetarian appetizers and sipping beer, wine, or soda provided by Black Dog Ale.
Carolyn Paden, Director of Public Relations for the Asheville Humane Society (AHS) told me that Yappy Hours are fun for everyone.
“The dogs get to socialize and the owners get to be out in public with their dogs.”
AHS started holding Yappy Hours in 2004. Yappy Hours are held on the third Thursday of the month, May through September at a variety of doggie-friendly establishments. Yappy Hours are always well attended, according to Paden who also said, “You’ll have every kind of dog, from a Teacup Chihuahua and a Great Dane and everyone gets along.”
The August Yappy Hour will be held at the 1891 Cedar Crest Inn from 6 to 8pm on August 21st. One of the inn’s proprietors, Bruce Mazzola told me that heand his partner Marcio are pet lovers themselves with three cats and 2 dogs. Although none of them is from a shelter, one is a stray they “found on the street.,” It’s evident that the AHS is a cause that’s close to their hearts.
Mazzola says that the Yappy Hour will be held on the inn’s croquet court. But, entertainment for the dog and dog lover gathering is not settled yet. In Mazzola’s words, “We’re still waiting for someone to step up.” But even without live music, the Cedar Crest Inn and its grounds are simply lovely and will lend the perfect ambience for cocktails, arf d’ouevres, and pleasant conversation.
This fundraiser and others are important to the AHS and the cats, dogs and other animals in its care. Last October, AHS and Buncombe County broke ground for two new facilities on donated land. The county’s 18,000 square foot facility will provide stress-reducing animal housing for quarantined, lost and found animals, as well as space for Buncombe County Animal Control. The AHS is building the Nancy Hiscoe Clark Adoption and Education Center adjacent to the county’s new building. The new 11,000 square foot center will provide a healthy, low-stress, family-friendly environment to house cats, dogs, and other animals ready for adoption. The center has been designed to provide ample space, state-of-the-art noise and disease control, and stress-reducing animal housing improvements, which will greatly increase adoption placements, saving the lives of countless animals. The Nancy Hiscoe Clark Center is scheduled to open in the Fall of 2009.
The August Yappy Hour will be held on August 21st from 6 to 8pm at the Cedar Crest Inn located at 674 Biltmore Avenue. There is a $10 donation/cover for humans but dogs are admitted free, of course. For more information about this event, other upcoming events, or the Asheville Humane Society, please call 828-236-3885 or visit www.ashevillehumane.org.
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