Need a Gift? Buy a Gift to Benefit Maryland’s Homeless Animals

The Maryland SPCA’s annual Shop-a-Paw-Looza 2013, an online auction, officially opened for business today.  The event runs through October 29.

Here are a few of the 167 items up for auction as of Oct. 4:

• A pair of front row tickets to an Orioles game (Item #157) with an estimated value of $84.  Just three hours into the auction, this item had bids up to $130.

• Two tickets for a sightseeing cruise around Baltimore’s Inner Harbor. The narrated tour last 45 minutes.

• An 11x14 custom oil painted portrait of your pet, valued at $175.

• A pair of tickets to see the Baltimore Ravens play the Vikings on Dec. 8.  The estimated value is $174.

• A $140 gift certificate for Ecolistic Cleaning Services which uses non-toxic, eco-friendly methods.

• A one week stay in Zihuatanejo, Mexico in a one-bedroom, deluxe condo that features a private, outdoor deck. The estimated value for this is $700.

Don’t wait until the last minute to bid because some of the auctions will close early.  And if you’ve already made some bids, stop back again because new items will be added each day.

An extra bonus is that these purchase qualify as a charitable donation (for the amount paid over the estimated value of the item that’s listed on the site).

So with one winning bid, you’re making a dent in your holiday shopping, helping homeless animals and maybe getting a tax write off.  You can’t ask for much more than that.

The Maryland SPCA relies on this annual auction to keep the doors open as it receives no funding from the government or ASPCA.  Last year, Shop-a-Paw-Looza helped the Maryland SPCA care for (and find homes for) 3,000 pets.

If you have questions about the auction, ask Tami at email  tgosheff@mdspca.org. Or, call  410.235.8826 ext. 138.