Just seeing folks walking through the parking lot of the Grand Lodge in Hunt Valley was a dead giveaway that the formal affair going on inside was unlike most others. These finely dressed folks were tripping over their patent leather pumps and glittery stilettos as their leashed dogs eagerly pulled them toward the front door.
Inside, guests entered the front hall under a balloon arch that spelled out "Central Bark," for a night that started with a cocktail hour filled with sipping and lapping (cocktails for people, water bowls for the canine set).
Welcome to the Baltimore Humane Society's annual $125-a-ticket "Black Tie & Tails Gala," where human guests were encouraged to bring their four-legged family members for a night of dining and dancing, yapping and wagging.
"I could just stand in a corner all night long and see all these darling dogs who come out with all their people to support the humane society," said Russell Ashton, Baltimore Human Society board president. "It's just a darling mix and everybody's on their best behavior with party manners."
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