Naples Puppy Prom to raise money for Domestic Animal Services

Think back to your high school’s senior prom; a night of music and dancing amidst a flurry of suits and gowns.

Now, you can relive your dance experience with an adorable twist, swapping out your old peers for puppies.

Spend an evening surrounded by tuxedo-and-tutu-clad adoptable dogs and an array of vendors at the Naples Puppy Prom from 6-10 p.m. June 1 at Corkscrew Weddings & Winery, 20401 Carter Road, Estero. The fundraising event will raise money for animal welfare in Collier County.

What to know about Naples Puppy Prom

This fundraiser is Collier County Domestic Animal Services’ (DAS) biggest event of the year, said Edna May Seymour, veterinarian at the Humane Society of Naples and founder of Puppy Prom.

“(DAS) didn’t really have a big event, gala or anything like that to help with fundraising,” Seymour said. “It initially just sparked up the idea to help them in particular.”

Seymour hosted the first Puppy Prom in her home last year. As the 2024 fundraising event approaches, growing support is clear.

RELATED: Enter your dog in our Naples Puppy Prom photo contest and win prizes from Barkbox

“When you walk in, we have something called Treat Street, which will be a bunch of different local restaurants with different tastings of food,” Seymour said.

Treat Street will have everything from a hot dog truck, to possibly a doughnut cart and even hula-hoopers and stilt-walkers to keep guests entertained while they feast.

Can you bring your dog to the event?

Corkscrew Weddings & Winery has donated their space for the evening. The venue just opened in January, with room for up to 400 guests. While personal dogs are not invited to attend the event, DAS will be bringing about 10 adoptable dogs with them.

“A lot of people, when they saw Puppy Prom, thought that they would bring their dogs to the event,” Seymour said. “Which is a cute idea, but we want to bring adoptable dogs and let them be the stars of the show.”

Animal rescues are currently struggling through a rough patch in Collier County, creating an even greater need for an event like this.

“During the pandemic, we had all these people adopting cats and dogs, everybody wanted an animal,” said Daryl Berg, a Puppy Prom Committee Member.

“The reality is now people are going back to work and with some of the housing issues going on in Collier County right now, numbers of surrendered animals have gone up significantly.”

How to participate in Naples Puppy Prom from home

With this in mind, the event seeks to highlight these animals that are in need of good homes and raise money for the DAS. Having some adoptable pets present at the venue provides insight into some of the adorable puppies and kittens that the fundraiser is supporting.

On top of this, the cuteness overload has one more important role to fulfill at the event.

“If people stay too late,” Berg said, “we just let the dogs and cats loose and everybody runs away screaming.”

While your personal pets cannot be in attendance for the night of the actual event, they can still participate in the festivities from home. Submit photos of your glammed-up pups to naplesnews.com.com/contests for a chance to win fun prizes from BarkBox ― a company that specializes in monthly packages of toys and treats and even recently launched its own dog-first travel experience, BARK Air.

Photo submissions for the Puppy Prom contest are open through 5 p.m. May 20. Voting opens at 12:01 a.m. May 21 and closes at 11:59 p.m. May 28.

Contest categories include Prom King, Prom Queen, Junior Prom King (under 1 year old), and Junior Prom Queen (under 1 year old). Prizes for each winner are valued at $400 or more. Winners will be announced at the event. A photo wall of these submissions will be featured at the venue for the Puppy Prom, allowing your pet to still be involved from afar.

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Tickets to the event are available at $250 for general admission or $500 for VIP access. More information is available on naplespuppyprom.com.

If you can’t make it to this event, DAS also hosts smaller adoption events throughout the year. Stay up to date via Collier County DAS on Facebook. A donation list, volunteer information, foster care information and adoptable pets are available online at colliercountyfl.gov.

This article originally appeared on Naples Daily News: How to attend the Naples Puppy Prom in June