They are more than friends.
They are faithful, radiant, extensively trained aides to individuals who have physical disabilities. To veterans and first responders living with service-related PTSD. To people navigating courthouses, mental health facilities, and other places that are vastly improved by the addition of lovely goldens and Labs.
They are Helping Paws assistance dogs.
They also aren’t cheap. From conception to graduation, a single puppy costs the Eden Prairie nonprofit upward of $35,000. Volunteers who house dogs-in-training incur expenses of their own as well. But they all manage thanks to the kinds of people Eden Prairie Lifestyle readers see in the mirror.
You’re invited.
You’re invited to Helping Paws’ signature annual fundraising event: the Tail Waggin’ Dinner, which will welcome over 500 donors, volunteers, and graduates to the apex of Midwestern hospitality – the Radisson Blu Mall of America – on the evening of September 19th.
Tickets are now on sale!
Galagoers will arrive to drinks, hors d'oeuvres, and a silent auction featuring over 150 lots. Sports memorabilia. Nearby getaways. Dog-themed treasures. You can bid on all these and more – silently.
Test your luck. Take a turn at the wine pull (made possible through Tonka Bottle Shop’s gracious support) and pluck out a vino valued between $45 and $200. Play plinko, and let the quincunx of destiny determine which fabulous prize you’ll take home. Enter the golden ticket raffle for a wine tasting tour in California!
Dinner. Choose from multiple entrées, and relax. Helping Paws’ finest are too well mannered to attempt mooching from your dining table. Once dinner has ended, the Parade of Puppies commences: darling creatures wondering what the heck is going on as they’re carried table to table to be oohed and ahhed at.
Shh. It’s 7:15 o’clock. The presentation is starting. Speeches by executive director Alyssa Golob, and school counselor Shannon Moore on Helping Paws facility dog Herbie’s impact at Falcon Ridge Middle School. Short films featuring the absurdly cute SFM Litter, and forecasting the future of Helping Paws.
And to cap it all off? The live auction. Bid on BIG lots; yet-to-be-determined lots, which may (or may not) take the shape of all-inclusive concert packages and tropical getaways. If you’re feeling particularly benevolent, you can bid on Paws of Gratitude lots: goods and services that make Helping Paws volunteers’ lives better, such as dog toys, dog food, house cleaning, and professional lawn dedoodooization.
“In 2024, we moved to our big, modern facility in Eden Prairie,” said Jonathan Kramer, marketing manager for Helping Paws. “In 2025, we opened our Puppy Enrichment Center next door. This year marked the grand opening of our Advanced Training Center two doors down.
“All that growth? It’s all in service of providing world-class assistance dogs free of charge to those who most need them, and it’s thanks in huge part to our generous donors and corporate sponsors.
“The theme for this year’s Tail Waggin' Dinner is ‘A Future in Motion.’ It will showcase how far we’ve come since our humble beginnings in 1988, and why we believe a bright tomorrow lies ahead.”
Last year’s gala raised a record $300,000. Every dollar of it went toward the creation of angel-dogs.
This year’s gala will do even better with you as an honored guest. Buy your tickets. Mark your calendar. Meet nice dogs. Help make more nice dogs.
The Helping Paws Tail Waggin’ Dinner will be held at Radisson Blu Mall of America on Saturday, September 19th from 5 until 8:30pm. Visit HelpingPaws.org to purchase tickets and learn more about how you can support the organization. Volunteer your time as a trainer, or your home as a puppy host!