After an inaugural event that saw over 150 attendees, the Human Society of Kitchener Waterloo & Stratford Perth (HSKWSP) hosted its second annual Fur-Ever Ink’d event. Several tattoo studios and artists from across Waterloo Region took part in the event hosted at the Hampton Inn in Waterloo, including Exotic Skin Shop, Gauntlet Tattoo, Ryan H Tattoo, True Ink Tattoo Studio, and Vendetta Studio. Local tattoo-lovers had the chance to get a pre-designed flash tattoo from artist of their choosing for $125, with 100 per cent of the profits going towards food, shelter, medical treatment, and care for the animals at the HSKWSP. Attendees and artists alike came out early Saturday morning, so they didn’t miss out on their chance at some fresh ink. “The vibe’s been really good,” Marty Rorke, a tattoo artist with True Ink Tattoo Studio, explained. “We arrived about an hour before the event started, and there was already a line up at the door down the street of people wanting to get on the waitlist for their tattoos… so people are really liking it.” Tattoos spanned anywhere from intricate fish designs to a handful of different designs of Snoopy. With a wide variety of tattoos to choose from for various reasons, Rorke spoke to the connection in sentiment between pets and tats. “Animals are a part of our family. Dogs, cats, birds. Everyone has a pet here it seems like and it is very sentimental… and tattoos are obviously forever, so the correlation between pets and having a sentimental tattoo is very high,” she said. The first Fur-Ever Ink’d raised around $6,000 for the humane society, giving Director of Development Victor Dinh the confidence that the only way they could go was up. “This year, our target is to exceed $10,000, and I think we’re well on our way to reaching that goal,” he said. 2026’s amount raised is expected to be announced by the HSKWSP Monday.
