This year’s St. Augustine Humane Society’s annual “Pin Up Paws Calendar” features St. Augustine’s winningest pets in a “Sweet Things” theme.
Thirteen pets who garnered the most votes have taken the stage in a professional photo shoot conducted by photographer Addison Fitzgerald and will grace the pages of this year’s calendar, with a total of 80 local animals featured.
This year’s cover model is Katherine, a tuxedo cat, with 4,920 votes. The 12 months will be represented by another tuxedo cat, Cupcake, and 11 dogs: Lucy, Bix, Otis, Ginger, Mabel, Piper, Charlie, Sookie, Layla, Tucker and Harley. And one winner, Sookie, is looking for her “furever” home.
“All of our featured pets have made stunning models, but we would love to call special attention to Sookie,” says Carolyn Sindad Smith, executive director of the St. Augustine Humane Society. “She was entered by Swamp Haven, a local rescue that advocates for underprivileged dogs — they literally saved Sookie’s life and have fostered her for eight months. She is a very sweet senior pup who had a rough start in life, and despite all that, she’s just a cuddly homebody looking for a family to love.”
Interested adopters can learn more about Sookie at swamphaven.org/adopt/linus-mffps-4eyse-6t7ak.
Each whiskered winner also receives a tasty treat for their human companions — gift cards to The Columbia Restaurant in St. Augustine. The gift cards are part of a donation made through the restaurant’s annual Community Harvest Program, coordinated by The Columbia’s corporate arm, The 1905 Family of Restaurants.
The 1905 Family of Restaurants and its legacy owners, the Gonzmart family, have organized its annual Community Harvest every September since 1998. Now in its 27th year, the Gonzmarts have donated nearly $4 million in gift certificates to more than 100 nonprofit organizations across Florida.
“As we look ahead to Columbia's 120th anniversary in 2025, I’m reminded that great restaurants are more than just places to eat; they’re part of the fabric of the community,” said Richard Gonzmart, fourth generation owner/caretaker. “I started this program to help many of the worthy nonprofits so important to the people — and animals — near our restaurants across Florida. The simple concept is to ‘eat well and do good.’ It’s a delicious way to help these organizations.”
The calendar will be unveiled and available for purchase at the Pin Up Paws Party at The White Room on Oct. 24. Tickets may be purchased at gogophotocontest.com/pupcalendar25/pages/16840.
