Hundreds of pet owners and dogs ready to strut their stuff for a good cause

By John Franchi

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    SALT LAKE CITY, Utah (KSTU) — Hundreds of pet owners and their dogs are getting ready to strut their stuff for a good cause.

On Saturday, Oct. 19th, Best Friends Animal Society is hosting its annual “Strut Your Mutt” fundraiser and festival at Liberty Park. The event will feature a short walk for humans and their dogs, live musical performances, food trucks, vendors, games and a ‘Wizard of Oz’ themed dog costume contest.

“If I don’t see at least one Toto, I will be really disappointed,” said Patrick Theobald, the community programs manager at Best Friends Animal Society.

Strut Your Mutt raises funds for animal rescue organizations across Utah with a goal of having every shelter reach the no-kill threshold by 2025. “No-kill is a philosophy of making sure every animal that goes into the shelter has a chance to get out, if that’s what’s best for them,” Theobold said.

While some animals are taken to shelters suffering from injuries or health conditions, B.F.A.S. believes at least 90% of animals entering shelters can be adopted.

This year, Best Friends reports facilities in South Jordan and Herriman reached no-kill status.

“A lot of these shelters just don’t have enough people, they don’t have enough funding, they don’t have enough support to implement all the programs they need,” Theobold said.

Making sure shelters and rescue organizations have the funds they need allows dogs and cats to get a second chance at finding forever homes while allowing humans the opportunity to form an everlasting bond with a four-legged friend. “They [people who adopt] just say, ‘I don’t know what took me so long to get this animal. I don’t know what took so long to make this decision because this animal saved me,’” Theobold said. “This cat or this dog rescued me alongside of me rescuing them.”

Registration to participate in Strut Your Mutt costs $35 and includes a gift bag and t-shirt. Those who would like to attend can pre-register here: Strut Your Mutt in Salt Lake City | Best Friends Animal Society – Save Them All

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