It's the hard heart that fails to melt when looking into the eyes of a companion animal. But not all cats and dogs are as lucky as those sleeping at the foot of the bed every night. The Spokane Humane Society has assisted homeless pets of the Inland Northwest for 116 years — providing food, shelter and medical care to unwanted or neglected animals, as well as spay and neuter surgeries, veterinary care and many other services for pet owners. The organization, one of the area's largest animal-welfare nonprofits, depends solely on donations to operate.

One of their biggest fundraisers is the annual Furr Ball, a gala evening hosted at the Davenport Hotel. Associate Shelter Director Kerry Wiltzius says last year's Furr Ball raised more than $70,000 for the shelter, and tickets for this year's event are already going fast.

Partygoers will enjoy a cocktail hour and hors d'oeuvres, followed by dinner and a live auction of eight decorated, themed Christmas trees. Each tree is decked out with more than $2,000 worth of items. One of the best parts of the evening? The Parade of Animals, when 20 adoptable pets from the shelter will strut their stuff. Stick around until the end of the live auction to meet some of the dogs and cats introduced during the parade. They'll be available for cuddles, or even better, adoption.

Spokane Humane Society's 13th Annual Furr Ball • Sat, Nov. 23 at 6 pm • $125/person • The Davenport Hotel • 10 S. Post St. • spokanehumanesociety.org • 467-5235

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Chey Scott

Chey Scott is the Inlander's Editor, and has been on staff since 2012. Her past roles at the paper include arts and culture editor, food editor and listings editor. She also currently serves as editor of the Inlander's yearly, glossy magazine, the Annual Manual. Chey (pronounced “Shay”) is a lifelong resident...