HOLLIS – The Humane Society for Greater Nashua is calling all dogs (and their humans) for “Canines Uncorked,” a social and wine event held the second Tuesday of each month through September at Fulchino Vineyard, 187 Pine Hill Road.

HSGN Director of Community Engagement Katie Boyden said that “Canines Uncorked” is an opportunity for animal lovers to get together, enjoy a glass of wine on Fulchino’s beautiful and spacious outdoor patio and share stories and laugh with their pets, who are allowed to join in the fun. And the idea is to get people out and about while supporting a good cause.

“In years past, we’ve partnered with Anheuser Busch’s Biergarten for our ‘Yappy Hour,'” she said. “It was the during the summer months, where people could bring their dogs and just enjoy an evening out and some of the proceeds would be donated back to our shelter.”

Boyden said the Biergarten event was “beloved,” but unfortunately the Biergarten has not opened up again and the HSGN wanted to continue its networking and social events.

“We want to drive traffic to our friends, locally,” she said. “So we had a connection over at Fulchino and we went over to speak to the owner, AL Fulchino and he was so excited to work with us and accommodate our guests and he thought it would be a nice partnership as well.”

Registration for the event is free and 20 percent of each glass of wine will benefit animals awaiting adoption at the HSGN.

“The whole process was very smooth,” Boyden said. “And our audience loves wine. And they love anything that involves bringing their dogs. So, being able to gather and hang out with your dog is rare because there aren’t a lot of events that allow you to bring your four-legged friends while you gather with your human friends.”

Boyden said the community was missing this type of special event and they thought incorporating wine into the social event was a marvelous idea, especially as the COVID numbers continue to go down as vaccinations in New Hampshire go up.

“For the Human Society, we’re so excited to be able to move forward with in-person events,” she said. “We had a lot of fun doing virtual events last year- it was something cool and different and we were able to reach a lot of people. But it’s not the same.”

Boyden called the HSGN supporters “incredible” and added that they deserve the face-to-face “thank you” that the humane society wants to provide.

“We can’t express our gratitude to our supporters through a computer screen,” she said. “So, it’s important to provide events that the community loves, where we can educate them all about humane society matters and incorporating fundraising is huge.”

The only event that will remain virtual is the HSGN’s annual Yard Sale, a big money-maker for the shelter. Boyden said they’re working again with the Milford Antique Market, 22 Clinton St., Milford and they’ll have periodic “pop-up” sales there.

“We’re changing the way that the yard sale works,” she said. “We want to make it more accessible to more people. And the ‘pop-up’ aspect works very well and volunteers like Diane Walton and Linda Benson both understand the value of items and they able to take in items that they know are going to do well and price them accordingly. That takes a lot of back-knowledge when it comes to antiques and such.”

The first “Canines Uncorked” was May 11 and was a resounding success.

“We sold out, in terms of the number of free entries that we received,” Boyden shared. “We ended up expanding to 100 for next Tuesday because it’s over the course of two hours. And Fulchino has so much space that you can still be completely socially distanced and have a hundred people there and their dogs.

Boyden said that the dogs in attendance in May were all leashed, as required, and well-behaved.

“It was great to see people’s faces,” she said. “And the weather is going to keep getting better.”

Another HSGN event is this Sunday, June 6. The “From Near & Far: Transforming Tomorrow” annual gala benefit dinner and auction will take place at Alpine Grove, 19 South Depot Rd., Hollis, and will provide guests with an evening of great food and entertainment.

Boyden said tickets are $85 each (or a table of 8 is $600), and sales have been going quite well.

“We would love to see it maxed out at 200 people,” she said. “Right now, we’re at 170, which is amazing especially given what the world was like one year ago. We’re just so excited to be back in person and have a meal with like-minded people who love animals just as much as we do and who want to support and advocate for homeless animals in our community.”

Cocktail hour will being at Alpine Grove at 5:30 p.m., outside under a massive tent.

Boyden said that guests can expect to see an actual Southern State transport of adorable dogs.

“We’re bringing five puppies, right off the van,” she said. “And our director of animal care, Becky Longval will be explaining why we do transports and how important they are.”

For information about any of the Humane Society for Greater Nashua’s events, visit hsfgn.org or call (603) 889-2275.