Humane Society of Sarasota puts on pawsh event with Paw Royale

The story begins like this: a beloved lost dog belonging to one Donald Evans was found by the dog catcher and euthanized in Sarasota in 1951. To prevent this type of heartbreak for others, Evans started the Humane Society of Sarasota County in 1952, which had room for 48 dogs and six cats.

Fast forward to 2026, and the HSSC manages 200 animals per day. To help it achieve that feat, it presented its largest annual fundraiser March 13 at The Ritz-Carlton, Sarasota.

PAW Royale was an unfurgettable event with a theme cleverly echoing the "Palm Royale" Apple TV show depicting the 1960s scene of Palm Beach's high society. Complete with "cabana boys" who made sure no raised paddle was missed by auctioneer Jaime Marco, the room was filled with audible oohs and aahs as everyone gushed over puppies and kittens.

Co-chairs Kimberly Marlow and Renee Phinney darted about making sure everything ran smoothly.

But the sobering comments were delivered by Executive Director Connie Boros, who gave staggering figures: in one year a female cat and her offspring can yield a total of 144 cats and in seven years the offspring can total a whopping 370,000.

With 400 like-minded guests in attendance the after-lunch total funds raised were $310,761.

The cost to save one life at HSSC is $1,490. In addition to saving lives, HSSC provides care — including spaying and neutering — while promoting responsible pet ownership and other programming.