CHARLOTTESVILLE, VA. (CVILLE RIGHT NOW) — The Charlottesville-Albemarle SPCA and Spitfire Tattoo for a two-day flash tattoo fundraiser. The event, hosted at the local tattoo parlor, will allow participants to receive an exclusive, pet-themed tattoo, with 100% of all proceeds going toward the animal shelter.

The CASPCA first held the event with Spitfire early last year, bringing in about $5000 in proceeds for the shelter, CASPCA Events and Fundraising Manager Lauren Thomas told Cville Right Now.

“We reached out to a couple of tattoo shops,” she said, “and Spitfire was nice enough to say, ‘Absolutely, we want to do this and we’ll donate all the proceeds to the Charlottesville-Albemarle SPCA,’ so it’s so generous of them.”

The shelter brought in about the same when they ran the event again that fall with half-heart tattoos. As of Monday morning, 24 of the 40 available spots for this week’s event were already filled.

“They’ve been super popular,” Thomas said. “Everyone loves a little bit of, or I love a little bit of spontaneous ink, so it’s nice to know that other people are in the same boat.”

Participants can select a 40-minute window starting at 10 a.m. on each day. Spots are limited and must be reserved in advance, with attendees encouraged to show up at least a few minutes in advance.

Each tattoo is $100, with cash tips for the artists encouraged, and every design come from an event-exclusive flash sheet. The designs depict a variety of cartoon animals, including, among others, two birds with cowboy hats in a western-style standoff, a toad dressed as a wizard and a cat inside a large wine glass.

Thomas said the CASPCA works with Spitfire’s artists to develop the designs each time, with Pinterest as a great source of inspiration. The aim is to find “something that is fun, funny and will help you remember that you donated money to a great cause.”

While the CASPCA hopes to sell out the remaining 16 slots, Thomas said if there are any open ones left they plan on offering drop-ins for those who may be interested. These will be announced through its Instagram.

The event’s proceeds will go toward the CASPCA’s work providing shelter and care for local animals in need. Thomas said when it comes to the shelter’s care, every dollar counts.

“Intake for two animals is around $500, medical intake, which gets them all their shots, spayed or neutered, just up to date on everything,” she said. “And so with that, you can see how that’s just two animals at $500 and we get so many animals a week, a month, a year.”

In addition, another $5000 from the tattoo fundraiser could bring a number of signficant benefits to CASPCA and its animals. For example, it could support one month of transfer transports, bringing at-risk pets from under resourced shelters to the CASPCA.

For those looking to support the CASPCA outside of this week’s Tattoo fundraiser, Thomas said those interested can donate to the shelter directly or shop at its rummage store on Hillsdale Dr. The shelter will also be hosting its 13th annual Bow-WOW-Walk on May 9.