Strutting to Save Them All!

The event was full of amazing Pugs
supporting their favorite charity,
Pug Rescue of Austin. 

Strut Your Mutt is an annual event hosted by Best Friends Animal Society to help raise funds and awareness for various rescues throughout the country. Happily, Austin is one of the many stops for this fantastic event!

True to the Austin motto of 'Keeping it Weird", the 2016 highest fundraising organization is Shadow Cats who, you guessed it, rescue CATS! The cats don't necessarily come out to strut their stuff, but a huge group of kitty lovers, along with hundreds of dogs and the people who love them show up to support local rescues, shop fun local vendors and enjoy a day by the lake!

This year was the first in several years that Pet Studio Art did not attend as a vendor, but I decided to stop by for an hour or so to show my support and meet as many sweet pups as I possibly could. The event was in a new location in East Austin, at the beautiful Walter E Long Park, which sit on a cute little lake and hosts a large grassy field with trails for hiking. When I arrived, the park was already full of dog lovers and their adorable pups prancing about, enjoying the slightly cooler (90ish degree) Central Texas weather.  

Annabelle Lee (right) is currently available for adoption
through Helping Hands Basset Rescue! 

I had the pleasure of meeting Helping Hands Basset Rescue, an organization that I have known for many years, as in my early 20s, I worked for one of the Veterinary Clinics where their rescue dogs were treated when they came down with an illness or injury. This wonderful rescue focuses on Hound dogs and offers up foster homes to those that end up in their care. When I asked what their immediate needs are within the rescue, they said they are always looking for more foster families and of course donations to help fund their rescue program. I instantly fell in love with a beautiful tri-colored Basset Hound named Annabelle Lee. This gorgeous girl (the darker of the two pictured here) was pulled from a rural Texas shelter just before her time was up. HHBR stepped in and with some love and medical care to remove a non-cancerous mass, she is now ready to find her forever family. Annabelle would love a home with another dog and preferably someone who is home more often than not as she tends to feel a little lonely without company. To donate to Annabelle's care, click here. 

Noah, available for adoption at
the Williamson County
Regional Animal Shelter. 

Of course, my personal favorite shelter, the Williamson County Regional Shelter, where I spent the majority of my volunteer hours was right up front and center, proudly showing off our shelter dogs and sharing our mission to save the homeless pets of Williamson County. Noah, featured here, came to the shelter after having a rough start to life. It was obvious that this boy needed more than we could offer him in a kennel, so the shelter reached out to our wonderful foster families.  Happily, one stepped right in for Noah and he is now receiving all the TLC he can handle! This sweet boy is thriving in his foster home and we cannot wait to see him adopted into his forever family soon! 

Events like Strut Your Mutt are always a great reminder to me that Austin is home to so many amazing pet parents, rescue supporters and animal welfare advocates. It is beautiful to see this community come together for the greater good and as always, I had so much fun meeting new pet parents and getting to know so many fabulous Austin dogs!

Stephanie Conrad
Pet Studio Art | Owner | Artist
www.petstudioart.com

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