Paw-Di Gras raises money for a Mebane animal shelter Paws4Ever

While revelers in New Orleans will celebrate Mardi Gras on Bourbon Street this week, animal lovers in Chapel Hill celebrated Paw-Di Gras on North Fordham Boulevard Friday.

Masks, dancing, music and a passion for all animals with paws were present at the Paw-Di Gras event to benefit the Mebane animal shelter, Paws4ever.

Paws4ever is a guaranteed-adoption animal shelter for cats and dogs that helps its animals through training.

The organization hosted Paw-Di Gras — a masquerade dinner, auction and dance Friday evening at the University Inn Ballroom with music provided by Raleigh band Liquid Pleasure.

Dozens of attendees could bid on a variety of items ranging from a Top of the Hill gift card to gift baskets or even a fall week at Figure Eight Island.The Paws4ever raffle included King and Queen Paw-Di Gras masks.

Local artists created masks to help raise money for the cause. Many of the artists participated because their families share a love of animals.

“My child adopted several rescue Boxers,” FRANK gallery artist Barbi Dalton said.

Dalton said she designed four or five masks for the event. She said she thought the timely Mardis Gras theme was clever.

This is the first time Paws4ever has hosted a Mardi Gras themed event, but the group has hosted a walk for animal protection in the past.

Paws4ever promises to take care of an animal if one day an adoptive family can no longer care for their adopted pet.

“We commit to our animals for the rest of their lives,” Paws4ever Executive Director Laura Griest said.

Griest said the shelter rescues animals from other shelters that have been there the longest and need Paws4ever the most.

The shelter and sanctuary is located in Mebane on 50 acres dedicated to a learning center for training dogs and an adoption center.

The sanctuary gives animals proper exercise and teaches them how to react to a household environment in the home space at the organization.

The sanctuary also helps its animals become adapted to household situations that can be upsetting to animals, like a vacuum running.

“This makes their transition less stressful and allows them to be exposed to the home environment,” Griest said.

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