A group of Johns Hopkins University students raised about $750 Saturday night by dressing up and auctioning themselves -- or at least a date with them and a shelter dog -- to the highest bidder.

Hopkins PAWS, or Pet and Animal Welfare Society, raised the money for BARCS, Baltimore Animal Rescue and Care Shelter, where many members of the student group work as volunteers -- at least in part, as Corban Tillemann-Dick (left) put it, "because we miss our dogs back home."

(Corban, who went for $40 in the auction, borrowed two of his sister's dogs for use in the event. That's him to the left in a photograph taken by Hopkins student Conor Kevit.)

Hopkins PAWS was formed last year by Ashley Kennedy, the junior psychology major who was behind the first annual Doggie Date Auction.

Shelter dogs didn't attend the event, but they will attend the dates, which also come with a picnic lunch. Only a handful of dogs were present, including mine, Ace, who at the request of one of the students, became part of the event we were there to watch.

Ace being a sizable mutt, Heather Ehrlich thought he would go well with the dominatrix outfit in which she was attired. She strolled the aisles, whip in one hand, Ace on a leash in the other, stirring up a frenzied bidding war that topped out at an event-high of $80 and earned them the honors of "Best in Show."

Ace seemed glad to play along and strut his stuff, and lending his services to the event seemed the right thing to do -- and not just because the woman making the request had a whip.

Two and a half years ago, as we documented in our series about his roots (find it here, or in the rail on the right-hand side of his page), Ace was a resident of BARCS. And students much like these were among those who, as volunteers, probably made his life a little better there.