The Animal Welfare League of Kosciusko County held its eighth annual Fur Ball Saturday at Toyota of Warsaw to raise funds toward its capital campaign. The money will be used to remodel the current AWL shelter “to make the experience a little easier for the animals,” said AWL Director Darla McCammon. She said she wants to raise at least $400,000 to fund the capital campaign, a remodel project headed by Design Collaboratives, Fort Wayne. The project will transform the shelter, giving it a multipurpose room, a bigger and better lab, a free roaming cat room and more isolation room for sick animals, she said. “We want to make sure the shelter is clean and nice,” she said. “We are on our way and we are really excited.” McCammon also said she hopes she can use the raised money from the ball to expand volunteer programs at the shelter, including a literacy program for area children in which they come to the shelter and improve their reading skills by reading to the pets. “That is one thing I would really like to bring in,” she said. The event began with a silent auction, offering packages including a six-month adult YMCA membership, a free pet exam from the Animal Hospital of Syracuse and a glass bowl set from Warsaw Cut Glass. While bidders mingled, they also were greeted by several vendors including pet photographers and local animal trainers including The Dog House in North Webster that offers services like boarding, training, grooming and daycare. According to owner and operator Ashley Mettham, The Dog House has hired a new trainer who was previously employed at Chicago’s Shedd Aquarium for four years training pets. A live auction followed the silent, featuring several packages, including one donated by Dr. Dane and Mary Louise Miller for a helicopter ride to and from Indianapolis, selling for $2,200; a Colts four-tickets package, selling for $1,400; and two tickets to the Westminster Agility Dog Show in New York City, selling for $1,000. The last feature of the night was a dog show featuring three dogs rescued from AWL. Third-place winner Jake raised $600; second-place winner Tucker raised $800; and first-place winner Bobby, adopted after his owner Bob lost both his wife and his previous pet, raised $3,700. "Our Fur Ball gets bigger and better every year and that is thanks to all (the community’s) help,” McCammon said.
