Caring Paws Rescue auction raises funds for Buena Vista County shelter

Donated art, gift cards and gift baskets filled the Mermaid Room of the Cobblestone Ballroom in Lakeside on Saturday night as Caring Paws Rescue used a silent auction to raise money for a future animal shelter at the former Lake Animal Hospital in Storm Lake. A painting from recently retired Storm Lake Elementary art teacher Andi Urban was among the highlighted donations, showing how the fundraiser drew together artists, neighbors and animal advocates around one concrete goal: a permanent place for stray, abandoned and foster animals in Buena Vista County.

Caring Paws Rescue says the shelter is meant to serve dogs and cats from across the county, where there is no county animal control officer and where local animal response has long depended on a patchwork of separate rules, volunteers and rescue efforts. The organization’s published plans call for room to house about 10 dogs and 50 to 60 cats, giving the county a facility built for intake, rehabilitation and short-term care before adoption.

The project has moved quickly since the former veterinary clinic at 107 West 16th Street became available. Dr. Dianne Johnson retired from Lake Animal Hospital on Dec. 23, 2025, and Caring Paws finalized its purchase of the building, equipment and inventory on March 3 for $375,000. The Thomas Samsel Trust then released $150,000 to the project, matching $150,000 Caring Paws had already raised.

That money is tied to a larger county need. Caring Paws was founded in 2024 by Sue Lyngaas and other Storm Lake residents after they saw the gap in local shelter capacity, and the organization has pointed to recent abandonment and cruelty cases as evidence of that demand. In a Feb. 5 incident near Rembrandt, three emaciated dogs were found tied inside a garbage bag in a ditch, a case that underscored the limits of the county’s current system.

The auction itself was built around that practical need, not just the art on the walls. Local artists supplied work that could attract bids, while the broader mix of donated items widened the fundraising base beyond animal supporters alone. Caring Paws has said the shelter would give Buena Vista County a permanent rescue home for cats and dogs until adoption, and Dr. Johnson has said she plans to help with medical needs at the site. With major renovations still ahead, the auction served as another step toward opening Storm Lake’s first dedicated animal shelter later in 2026.