Mark Your Calendar for Petchitecture! San Francisco’s Canine-Friendly Gala
Lady Bird Viola is this year’s PAWS Pet Idol at Petchitecture 2023. photo: Mark Rogers
Atop the hill on Mason Street, proudly overlooking the city, stands the iconic Fairmont San Francisco, designed by renowned architect Julia Morgan. Throughout the years this storied hotel has hosted dignitaries, luminaries, famous actors and musicians, and scores of Tiki bar aficionados. But none are perhaps as thrilling and glamorous as the canine guests who attend Petchitecture, a gala benefiting Shanti Project’s Pets Are Wonderful Support (PAWS) Program.
The Fairmont will once again play host to this lively event on Thursday, May 18, from 6 p.m.-9 p.m., in the Venetian Room, a lavishly elegant room where animal lover and advocate Tony Bennett first sang I Left My Heart in San Francisco. Living up to that history, the onstage pet parade featuring some of this year’s canine guests promises to be every bit as entertaining as the ageless Mr. Bennett.
The evening will also include the presentation of the Dede Wilsey Champion of the Human-Animal Bond Award to Sherri Franklin, the founder and CEO of Muttville Senior Dog Rescue. Sherri founded Muttville in 2007 to save the lives of older dogs who were often considered unadoptable and would frequently be euthanized in shelters. Thanks to the work of Sherri and Muttville, more than 10,000 senior dogs have been saved, and she is most deserving of this honor.
The night will also celebrate this year’s eight - that’s right, eight - fabulous PAWS pet idols. These four dogs and four cats will be showcased throughout the event in photos by Mark Rogers Photography, videos by Sean Kurtela, and pet portrait paintings by Dr. Ken Gorczyca, one of PAWS’ founding veterinarians and a frequent Bay Woof contributor.
Even better, the evening will again offer the chance to bid on a pet idol package of your very own during the live auction. What do you get if you win a package? Your own adorable pet(s) become the spokesdog(s) or spokescat(s) for PAWS for an entire year. They’ll be the subjects of professional photography, videography, and portrait paintings, and they will be featured in our newsletter, social media, and event communications. In other words, they’ll be famous!
We hope you’ll join the Shanti Project for this one-of-a-kind evening. All funds raised will support the PAWS program, which helps reduce the cost of caring for a beloved pet for older adults and those with disabilities or illness. PAWS offers clients pet food and supplies; veterinary care services, including financial assistance; and supportive pet care services such as dog walking, pet fostering, and in-home cat care. Services are provided by staff and a corps of dedicated Pet Assistance Volunteers.
(If you’re wondering how PAWS came about, it was originally founded as a nonprofit organization in 1987, after SF AIDS Foundation Food Bank volunteers noticed that some clients were neglecting their own nutrition and feeding donated food to their animal companions instead. Believing that no person should have to choose between feeding themselves or their beloved pets, these volunteers created a special food bank to offer pet food and supplies. In 2015, PAWS merged with Shanti and became a program of Shanti Project, a nonprofit organization dedicated to reducing isolation, enhancing health and well-being, and improving quality of life.)
This year’s gala kicks off at 6 p.m. with a reception, including champagne served while you’re in line at event registration (guaranteed to take the sting out of any wait). The formal vegetarian dinner and program will begin at 7:30 p.m. There will also be a special dog park where you can bring your canine guests when they need a little jaunt outside for a walk or bio break. Cocktail attire is suggested for humans, and for dogs - well, dressed to the nines, of course!
We can’t wait to see you and your dogs at this fun-filled gala evening! To learn more or purchase sponsorships and tickets to Petchitecture, please visit petchitecture2023 .