If you head to Keel & Curley Winery this Saturday you’ll see a swarm of large, furry guests taking part in the annual SlobberFest.
The event is a way for the winery to pay thanks to volunteers with the Mastiff Rescue of Florida and to celebrate the
happy homes the lovable mastiffs have been placed in over the years. Alicia Keel, chief financial officer for Keel & Curley and treasurer for the Mastiff Rescue of Florida, said it is a fun event humans and dogs alike enjoy.
“We should have about 25, maybe 30 mastiffs coming out,” Keel said. “These are the ones that have come in through the rescue and have been homed so they’re not up for adoption or anything, but it’s like a celebration to see how happy they are, how they’ve transformed from a really crappy place into a nice, loving home.”
The rescue is comprised of more than 220 volunteers across the state and focuses on rescuing English Mastiffs. Keel said each year they rescue an average of 90 dogs.
Keel purchased her first Mastiff back in 2003 when she added Fletcher to her family. She said the 240-pound “goofball” left a mark on her heart after he passed.
She began volunteering with Mastiff Rescue of Florida. They did a home evaluation in case she decided to foster or adopt and during the visit they brought a recent rescue named Ginger.
“She was just taken from a shelter the day before and she was skin and bones and about 99 pounds,” Keel said. “The couple that was fostering her brought her out here and did my home evaluation… My husband finally gave in and we fostered her. About two weeks later we decided we absolutely loved her and we needed to keep her.”
During Saturday’s event, there will be live music, a caricature artist, a Photo Booth for the dogs to get photos with Santa and a big dog pool full of toys for the furry guests to “bob for toys.”
Keel is also arranging an obstacle course for the pets that will be full of stairs, giant tubes and other fun activities.
The party will be adjacent to the restaurant and she said anyone interested in the organization is welcome to come over to chat and get more information.
Throughout the day normal guests at the winery are welcome to take part in a silent auction for a variety of rare items.
Keel said they will be auctioning off a fiddle signed by Charlie Daniels who has partnered with the organization before. They also have a gift certificate for locally grown Angus beef, a golf pass, artwork and more.
The auction will be at 2 p.m. on Saturday and she said everyone is welcome to attend. Anyone who wants to learn more about the group or is interested in volunteering or donating to the organization is encouraged to visit mastiffrescuefl.org or to check out its Facebook page.
Items like baseball caps, decals and t-shirts that sport fun phrases like “size does matter” are routinely available as fundraisers for the group.