The 125th Anniversary  Around the World for 80 Strays Gala will take place on Saturday, April 21 at the Hilton Garden Inn on Hoosick Street in Troy.

The event will benefit the Hudson Mohawk Humane Society and will feature live and silent auctions. Music will be provided by Grand Central Station.

According to a statement, the society will present 2012 Human Heroes Awards and Goldstein Auto Group will receive the Humane Business Award,  while the Humane Non-Profit Award will be presented to Community Resource Federal Credit Union. 

More awards will be given to Cohoes Harmony Hill School third grade students & teachers when they receive the 2012 Humane Education Award and John Norton will be given the Humane Advocate Award for his photographs of homeless animals. 

The Society will also present its highest award given in honor of Dr. William O. Stillman, who founded the organization in 1887.

The Mohawk Hudson Humane Society received two grants for the purpose of spaying and neutering animals in the Capital Region. Together, the grant money totals $30,000.

The money comes from the state’s Animal Population Control Fund, which is administered by the ASPCA. The funds are the result of surcharges on every dog license in the state (outside of New York City) as well as the state’s spay/neuter license plate.

Half the money will go to the society’s Feline Fix program which spays and neuters cats and the other half will go to the Buck-A-Bull program which is dedicated to sterilizing pit bull type dogs.

“We are very excited about this new funding,” said Brad Shear, MHHS executive director in a statement.  “This grant money means we will be able to do even more to prevent the growing population of animals in the Capital Region and ultimately save more animals’ lives.”

SCHENECTADY - An ongoing feud between the city of Schenectady and a local animal shelter escalated Saturday and police now say it could lead to criminal charges against the shelter's director.

It began after the Animal Protective Foundation's Executive Director Rosalie Ault told a man they didn't have any more room for a pair of pit bulls he was trying to drop off at their Scotia shelter. On Saturday morning Ault escorted the man -- and the puppies -- to Schenectady Police headquarters where apparently the fur began to fly.

According to the veterinarian who is now treating the 4-1/2-month-old pit bulls, they are both happy and healthy puppies. Schenectady Police, on the other hand, were not happy when the puppies were pawned off on them Saturday morning.

"We explained to the APF that we weren't able to accept them, that we weren't equipped for them," said Lt. Mark McCracken, spokesman for Schenectady Police.