Supporting the work of the SPCA of Texas, the annual Ellis County Strut Your Mutt Fun Walk offers dogs and their human companions a chance to enjoy a stroll in Waxahachie’s historic Getzendaner Park in the company of fellow dog lovers.
Date, Time and Location
The 2024 SPCA of Texas Ellis County Strut Your Mutt 3K Fun Walk and Race to End Animal Cruelty will take place on May 18, 2024 at Getzendaner Park at 400 S. Grand Avenue in Waxahachie, Texas. Day-of registration begins at 8:00 a.m. and the walk begins at 9:00 a.m.
Lone entrants and teams may pre-register at the Strut Your Mutt registration page. The cost is $35 per entrant. Children 11 years old and younger may participate for free. All participants will receive a goody bag with a Strut Your Mutt T-shirt, a pet bandana, a dog toy and dog treats.
What to Expect
The main attraction of the Strut Your Mutt 3K Fun Walk and Race to End Animal Cruelty is the crowd of dogs, many of whom are donned in trendy attire, all ready to walk with their people partners in a springtime outdoor exercise session under the tall shade trees and near-bucolic setting of Getzendaner Park.
Additionally, the walk features the Bow Wow Bazaar with vendors catering to animals and their people from 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. Look for activities for pets and children, demonstrations and more at the bazaar, too.
“We are excited to bring our Strut Your Mutt family event to Ellis County for the second year in a row,” says SPCA of Texas President and C.E.O. Chris Luna, JD. “In addition to drawing attention to the important subject of animal abuse in North Texas, the fun walk will include family-friendly food, drink and entertainment.”
About the SPCA of Texas
Founded in 1938, the Dallas-based SPCA of Texas is a non-profit animal welfare organization that shelters betrayed and abandoned dogs and cats, provides low cost basic veterinary services such as vaccination and spay and neuter procedures, and in special cases rescues abused domestic animals, from puppies to horses, through partnerships with local law enforcement agencies.
In addition to the Dallas Animal Care Center and Russell H. Perry Pet Resource Center, the organization operates the Ellis County Animal Care Center in Waxahachie. Each year, almost 5,000 animals are sheltered at the facilities until they can be placed in foster care or permanent homes.
A Fundraising Event that Helps Animals in Ellis County
Care and placement of the animals requires funding, and the Ellis County Animal Care Center alone had a $586,018 operating budget in 2023. Events such as the Strut Your Mutt 3K Fun Walk help to ensure that the organization’s work remains funded.
“The money raised from the event will support the work of our Animal Cruelty Investigations Unit, the veterinary and behavioral care services our teams provide to animals rescued out of abuse situations, and more,” Chris adds.
Last year, the Ellis County walk attracted 113 participants and 13 teams, raising $6,220 for the organization. The 2024 Strut Your Mutt is the second to take place in Waxahachie and is an offshoot of the Strut Your Mutt event that the organization hosts for Dallas area dogs at Fair Park in Dallas.