6th Annual Get Your Mutt Movin' helps get support moving for rescue animals

It started out as like a small festival, at the time a joint project with the YMCA, but now has grown to about 250 runners and walkers, says event organizer Anne Middleton. 

The Sixth Annual Get Your Mutt Movin' was held at Payne Park on March 28, raising about $45,000, according to the rescue.

Middleton says the annual event involves lots of former animals from the no-kill shelter returning with their adoptees, as well as many members of the community who come out to support it.  

"Our animals, specifically, are animals that have no chance anywhere else, and it is just a beautiful thing to see them go through this change of being somebody's unwanted, to the gift in someone's life that heals them," she said. "So many times people will say this is the perfect pet for us, and it's just great to hear that, so it's great to introduce that to people."

In addition to a 5K run and walk, the event also featured a pie eating contest, in which canines competed in emptying cups of whipped cream. 

In the race, Lee Chandler was the overall male winner, Ariana Pressimone was the overall female winner, and Sasha was the first-place dog.

"I just want to thank the community," Middleton said. "We have so many return people who do this event, return vendors who come back, and it means a lot to us to see these faces, and to know that they're out there supporting us because this is a hard mission to be a part of, and it really buoys your spirits and keeps you going to know that you're not fighting upstream, you've got a team."