Strut Your Mutt is a dog walk in 14 cities nationwide to raise money for local pet rescues and shelters. The walk takes place for the first time in Atlanta on Sept. 24 at Historic Fourth Ward Park. To find out more about participating or supporting a local shelter, go to www.strutyourmutt.org. Also check the site for rules such as dogs must be leashed and cats not invited.
If he has his way, Shiloh, all seven pounds of him, will be at the head of the pack at the Strut Your Mutt event in Atlanta’s Historic Fourth Ward Park on Sept. 24. That’s because the chiweenie, a cross between a Chihuahua and dachshund, thinks he’s a big dog, that is, when he doesn’t think he’s a cat, says his owner, Nancy Turk, a retired Delta flight attendant. Regardless of where Shiloh actually ends up, the 4-year-old rescue is helping a cause close to his heart, even if he doesn’t know it. Strut Your Mutt is a walk to raise money to support pet adoption efforts and to end the killing of dogs and cats in shelters. Turk, captain of the Fayette Humane Society’s Strut Your Mutt team, talked about the event and why rescues rock.
Q: What is Strut Your Mutt exactly?
A: Best Friends is an organization in Kanab, Utah, and every year they have this fundraiser called Strut Your Mutt in cities all over the country. This is the first year that Atlanta is going to participate. There is a one-mile walk and a two-mile walk and all kinds of fun festivities, including dog races and a "Smooch Your Pooch" photo booth.
Q: What else about Best Friends?
A: They have a sanctuary for hard to adopt pets. Best Friends took 22 Michael Vick dogs. Last year, two Fayette Humane Society members took one of our cats, Grayson, out there. He had been set on fire and Best Friends found a home for him. The organization is working to make cities like Atlanta "no-kill" places, which means no euthanasia in the shelters. Every day, more than 9,000 dogs and cats are killed in America's shelters simply because they don't have a home.
Q: What are some of the challenges to getting animals adopted out?
A: I hear, "You don't know what you're getting." People have these preconceived notions that these animals are not any good because they are not purebreds. A lot of people don't realize that some of these purebreds come from puppy mills and people end up spending a lot of time and money at the vet. At just about every rescue organization, an animal gets a complete checkup, is up to date on its vaccinations and is spayed or neutered before it is adopted. One of the biggest challenges is educating people that they really need to spay or neuter their animals.
Q: How long have you been involved with pet rescues?
A: Since I was 18. I used to go to Washington, D.C., with the Doris Day Animal League. I've been working with the Fayette Humane Society for eight years. I am part of the fundraising committee and collect the money from our donation boxes around Fayette County. I write up little stories and put them on the boxes to let people know we have animals with special needs.
Q: What do people need to know before taking on a pet?
A: They have to realize that this is a lifetime commitment. We level with people that they have to spend time with their animal. Cats are a lot easier but cats need a lot of love, too. We try to advise people that if you have difficulty, find a trainer that uses positive training. But animals give back far more than people realize. They are here to teach us unconditional love. They don't care if you have bad breath or a bad hair day. Me, I'm a sucker for rescues. They never stop thanking you for saving their lives.
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