El Paso Animal Service’s Mutt-a-Thon is happening Saturday
EL PASO, Texas - Have you ever considered being a dog walker? The kind of job where you have two, three, four, or more dogs on the leash at one time? If the answer is yes, this weekend will make your dreams come true!
On Saturday, August 27, you'll have an opportunity to walk one of the 700 adoptable dogs at the Mutt-a-Thon event hosted by El Paso Animal Services and Rescue Runners. From 8 a.m to 2 p.m., you can spend time walking or running dogs of your choice to give them a bit of human interaction time, a break from their cage, and to see if you have a connection with them. Of course, adoption is not required if you want to attend the event.
"When you have over 700 dogs currently in the shelter, unfortunately, a lot of those dogs don't get out of their kennel every single day. So that's why we are inviting the entire community to come out and help us walk every single adoptable dog in the shelter that is waiting for their forever home," said Michele Anderson, Marketing and Public Engagement Manager for EP Animal Services.
The event's purpose is also to promote volunteering at the shelter, which could always use extra hands dealing with the large amounts of adoptable animals. If you are thinking about volunteering, organizers shared there is no time requirement as far as how many hours you should spend helping out the shelter. "One hour of your time can make a world of difference for the animals," Anderson said. Click here to go to the volunteer registration page.
Ileene Pina, who is the lead Rescue Runners volunteer shared, "it's just so heartwarming, and when you see the dogs behind the glass and window you can tell they want to get out and as soon as they get with you they are like happy smiling, and they are just excited to play and to get that affection, so when you see that the difference you make in the dog's life just by walking them out on the street for a little bit, its just great to see their faces change."
The Mutt-a-Thon will feature raffle prizes, food trucks, goodie bags for adopters, and refreshments for all dog walkers. If you are interested, you should sign up here, but make sure you have some pants handy, as they are a requirement for participation. The sign-up deadline will end on Friday or when time slots become filled.
