‘Sugar & Champagne’ Goes to the Dogs on Jan. 31

The Washington Humane Society will host its 12th Annual Sugar & Champagne Affair Thursday, Jan. 31, at the Ronald Reagan Building and International Trade Center, recognizing community activists against animal cruelty and raising funds for the District’s homeless pets.

Washington Humane Society’s humane law enforcement officers, humane educators and animal care and control officers are among the evening’s honorees. The popular, canine-friendly Sugar & Champagne Affair welcomes guests to bring their dogs to the event. Not many other galas in the city allow that.

New components have also been added to this WHS tradition. “The Golden Ticket” invites guests to enter a drawing, the winner of which will receive a tasting at RdV Vineyards for ten people and dinner at Market Salamander.

Guests may also participate in the “Cake Walk Challenge,” another new addition to the evening’s activities, in which cakes – created by five notable chefs – will be auctioned to the highest bidders.

The main event, which begins at 7 p.m., will feature Washington, D.C.-area pastry chefs, as well as champagnes and wines, to celebrate supporters of WHS efforts to fight animal maltreatment. Chef Todd Gray and Ellen Kassoff Gray of Equinox Restaurant and Muse at the Corcoran Gallery of Art are the reception’s hosts.

The VIP Chefs’ Tasting Room, “an exclusive savory gathering prepared by the finest chefs of the national capital region,” begins at 6 p.m. before the main event, according to the WHS website.

Tickets for both the VIP event and general reception may be purchased at sugarandchampagne.org.

According to WHS, reception proceeds “directly benefit the animals and programs of the Washington Humane Society.”

WHS has served the Washington, D.C., region since 1870, working to ensure the well being and protection of animals through various services, such as adoption, sheltering, rehabilitation programs and humane law enforcement, among others.