Welcome to My Paw-ty!

Gail and Mike Cochran know how to throw a party, er paw-ty, a birthday paw-ty to be exact, for their gorgeous Mastiff and birthday girl, Gypsy Sue. Mike decided long ago that people LOVE going to birthday parties and thus, the idea of collecting food donations for animals at the Humane Society Naples (HSN) came to be. And where better to have a birthday celebration than at Gypsy’s namesake, Island Gypsy? Island Gypsy did not disappoint in setting up a spread worthy of the celebration.

There were no birthday presents for Gypsy - all she wanted for her birthday was for everyone to support her friends at HSN by bringing a bag of food for those friends at the shelter. Alex Woods of HSN drove the mobile adoption center with several kittens and a one-year-old German Shepherd named Rosy to the event. Of course, you can’t adopt and immediately take a pet at an event like this. You had to wait until a regular business day and go through the adoption process. Rosy found a potential family the day before the party, and her future parents came to the event for a second ‘date’ with Rosie. Rosy found her fur-ever home!

“Over the years, we’ve collected and donated a total 9,500 pounds of food from Gypsy’s parties. We had towels, sheets, blankets, and bedding donated as well as leashes, collars, and toys,” said Cochran. “We’re waiting on the final tally from the raffle, the silent auction items, and cash donations, but it preliminarily looks like we’re at about $15,000+ going to the HSN. We’ll know for sure when some of the matching corporate donations can be counted.”   

Before the end of the celebration, Mike gathered some crew from the Island Gypsy including the new Development and Marketing Manager for HSN, to deliver dinner to the Isles of Capri Fire Rescue Department personnel. “It was so appreciated by those on duty!”

Happy Birthday Gypsy Sue! We can’t wait until next year’s event. Watch Coastal Breeze News for info.