Pet-loving wine drinkers will gather in support of their four legged friends and the Central Coast Wine Region at the Second Annual Wine 4 Paws, a fund-raising event for Woods Humane Society in April.

More than 50 participating wineries throughout San Luis Obispo will hold the event on April 10 and 11, during which time a portion of the proceeds from participating wineries will be donated to the Woods Humane Society.

The inaugural event in 2009 had 35 participating wineries and raised more than $6,000.

“Last year’s Wine 4 Paws demonstrated how many wine lovers are also pet lovers," said Woods Humane Society Director Sarah Tomasetti. "We knew our wineries are amazing supporters of our four-legged friends, which is how we came up with the idea. But the response we had from people out wine tasting was inspiring, as well.” 

The event this year will also include a free wine passport – with six stamps from participating wineries, each passport will be entered into a raffle with many prizes.

Wine 4 Paws is held concurrently at all participating wineries, and with 52 wineries participating this year, there’s are many to choose from. To see a full list of participating wineries and a get a free printable passport & map, go to www.wine4paws.com.

Then head out to the wineries of your choice, mention Wine 4 Paws when you taste and buy wine during the weekend of April 10, and a portion of your sale will be donated to Woods Humane Society on your behalf.

Woods Humane Society, Inc. is a locally owned private non-profit animal welfare organization that has served homeless companion animals since 1955. The new shelter, located off of Hwy 1 and Kansas in San Luis Obispo opened its doors in August of 2005 and has been going and growing strong ever since.

Aside from the hundreds of animals Woods cares for each year, the organization maintains partnerships with other local private and county operated animal shelters in an effort to provide the greatest amount of good for the greatest amount of animals.

Woods Humane Society is also the only animal shelter on the central coast with a fully operational spay and neuter suite, which opened in September of 2006 and has performed over 7,500 surgeries. Its goal is to provide a premier level of care for all of the animals entering their doors.

As the needs of the county grows, so too does the cost to operate the facility. It is experiencing a 20 percent growth in all aspects of the shelter on an annual basis. Woods can rise to meet the needs of the local homeless animal population, but cannot do this without community support. Woods is solely funded through charitable gifts from the community and the need is greater than ever for ongoing financial support.