Best Friends Animal Society's Strut Your Mutt Returns: 12 Cities Nationwide Plus Strut Your Mutt Day, So Lace Up, Leash Up, Save Lives

KANAB, Utah, Aug. 29, 2019 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- For the past 23 years, Americans have been coming together to raise money to help save the lives of homeless pets. Best Friends Animal Society, a national animal welfare organization dedicated to making the United States No-Kill by 2025, launched Best Friends® Strut Your Mutt® in Salt Lake City in 1996 and since then it has become a national event by staying local.

Best Friends® Strut Your Mutt® will be in 12 communities nationwide.* Those who take part in this annual fundraising charity dog walk event can choose to support and raise funds for Best Friends or their favorite local participating animal welfare organization. The events start Saturday, Sept.7, 2019 and end Saturday, Oct. 26, 2019.

But it's much more than a fundraising walk. Strut Your Mutt is a fun-filled festival where four-, three- and two-legged participants of all ages can take part in activities like doggie yoga, pet portraits, music, contests, food trucks and more.

Every year, about 733,000 dogs and cats are killed in America's shelters simply because they don't have safe places to call home. But in every community, local people are fighting to change this, says Julie Castle, CEO of Best Friends Animal Society.

"The public has always been ahead of the curve when it comes to no-kill. You save lives, volunteer your time, support your favorite programs and, probably most important of all, you set community expectations for the highest possible care and commitment to life for shelter pets. Best Friends Strut Your Mutt is one of those times that local people come together to help animals in their community and across the country. Together we can Save Them All and make the country no-kill by 2025."

New York Times bestselling author and animal rescue advocate Katherine Schwarzenegger Pratt, who wrote "Maverick and Me" based on her adopted dog, is the 2019 Strut Your Mutt spokesperson and will attend the Los Angeles event. Singer/songwriter Katie Toupin will perform at the Atlanta, Austin, Houston, and San Francisco events, accompanied by her rescue dog, Cheeto.

Nationwide, more than 14,000 people participated in Best Friends Strut Your Mutt in 2018, raising more than $2.3 million for homeless pets.

Don't live in one of the 12 cities participating? No problem! Strut Your Mutt Day is nationwide.

For people interested in saving the lives of homeless pets that don't live in a city that hosts a live event, there is Strut Your Mutt Day on October 26, a virtual fundraiser that allows people to raise funds online for Best Friends Animal Society or a participating local animal welfare group in their area.

To get involved, start your own fundraising page or donate to an existing team please visit StrutYourMutt.org.

Special thanks to national sponsors Cuteness, Wellness® Natural Food for Pets and Treetopia.

*All Best Friends® Strut Your Mutt® participating cities and dates:

September 7            
San Francisco

September 14                
Austin, Texas

September 21            
Kanab, Utah, home of Best Friends Animal Sanctuary

September 28                
Houston | Minneapolis-St. Paul

October 5                    
Atlanta | D.C. Metro | New York City

October 12                    
Salt Lake City

October 19                    
Phoenix

October 26                    
Los Angeles | Jacksonville, Fla.

October 26
National Strut Your Mutt Day

About Best Friends Animal Society

Best Friends Animal Society is a leading national animal welfare organization dedicated to ending the killing of dogs and cats in America's shelters. In addition to running lifesaving programs in partnership with more than 2,700 animal welfare groups across the country, Best Friends has regional centers in New York City, Los Angeles, Atlanta and Salt Lake City, and operates the nation's largest no-kill sanctuary for companion animals. Founded in 1984, Best Friends is a pioneer in the no-kill movement and has helped reduce the number of animals killed in shelters nationwide from an estimated 17 million per year to around 733,000. That means there are still about 2,000 dogs and cats killed every day in shelters, just because they don't have safe places to call home. We are determined to bring the country to no-kill by the year 2025. Working collaboratively with shelters, rescue groups, other organizations and you, we will end the killing and Save Them All. To check out our community lifesaving dashboard and for more information, visit bestfriends.org.

Join the conversation on Facebook.com/bestfriendsanimalsociety, Twitter (@BestFriends) and Instagram (@BestFriendsAnimalSociety).

SOURCE Best Friends Animal Society