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

Facebook  |  Instagram 

We Can Save Them All...

Rello is available for adoption through Austin Pets Alive.

I just love the Best Friend's Animal Society's 'Together, we can save them all' campaign. I truly believe that saving every adoptable animal is 100% possible - in fact, I live in a city where we have set goals of ending the killing and guess what? Our shelters consistently save more of our homeless animals than any other city in the United States. The Williamson County Regional Animal Shelter, where I spent my spare time volunteering has been a no-kill open admission shelter for many years. How? Hard work and dedication to saving lives. It's a simple concept that many shelter just won't try. 

This weekend, we were happy to attend Best Friend's annual Strut Your Mutt event in Austin and as always, we had a blast meeting new friends, making new clients and of course enjoying all of the puppy love that we could handle! 

Strut Your Mutt is a collaborative effort between Best Friends and Rescue Organizations around the country. Basically, the shelters raise money through Best Friend's, after the event, they reap the rewards of their hard work fundraising to help their programs! In Austin, we have a healthy competition between cat and dog organizations and as it always seems to happen, this year's winners were once again the wonderful Shadow Cats Rescue. It's always fun to see the cat group leading the 'dog parade' through the park. 

Nugget is available for adoption through Austin Dog Rescue!

In addition to the fundraising, the daily festivals are put on around the country. Our Austin event brings out dozens of our local rescue organizations to showcase their adoptable dogs and we fill the park with adorable pups of all sizes. Nugget, featured here with her rainbow wings, is available for adoption through Austin Dog Rescue!

If you are looking for a pet, this event is always a great one to attend - or of course, check out the many amazing rescue groups that helped to make it a success - I guarantee that you will find your new best friend!

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

Facebook  |  Instagram  |  Twitter