Community Corner
Going Nuts for Mutts
More than 1,000 dogs and their owners gather at the Agoura Hills/Calabasas Community Center to raise funds and enjoy canine competitions.
The tails of more than 1,000 dogs were anxiously wagging as they stood by their owners in front of the Agoura Hills/Calabasas Community Center on Sunday, awaiting the signal to begin the 6th annual Nuts for Mutts 5k walk-a-thon.
Around 9:30 a.m., breeds ranging in size from toy poodles to Great Danes took to the streets with the song "Who Let the Dogs Out" blaring.
Black Pearl, a 2-year-old miniature horse that weighs just 120 pounds and was smaller than some of the dogs in attendance, led the walkers. Black Pearl was popular with the humans and the noses of many of the dogs.
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Ariana Koch, 10, and dad Jonathan came to the event with Furry, a dachshund-Chihuahua mix. This was Ariana's first year participating at Nuts for Mutts.
"When we heard about the walk we wanted to be a part of it," she said. Her dad laughed, saying Ariana loves dogs more than people.
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The event, co-sponsored by the community center, the Rotary Club of Calabasas and New Leash on Life Animal Rescue, raised $60,000 for the three organizations, said Mary Anderson-Harris, a publicist for Nuts for Mutts.
New Leash on Life, founded in 1997 by Kelly and Bobby Dorafshar, has spayed and neutered thousands of pets and rescued and placed more than 3,000 dogs. The nonprofit, which has offices in Los Angeles and Chicago and provides free educational seminars at shelters and schools, places priority on "hard to place" animals requiring special care.
"We saw so many dogs ending up in shelters," Kelly Dorafshar said. "For every dog that was adopted, three times that number were going in" to shelters.
New Leash on Life's participation was the selling point for some Nuts for Mutts participants.
"I really like animals and I decided I wanted to help raise money for a really good organization while having fun," said Jasmine Powell, a 15-year-old from Santa Clarita who brought her two teacup poodle mixes.
Jon Gupta brought Byron, a 2-year-old mutt who was saved with the help of Karma Rescue three months ago. Bryon seemed to love walking and sniffing other dogs.
"Adoption is a great way to go," Gupta said. "You can find a lot of great animals that way. It should be people's first choice when choosing to get a dog."
Adriana Garrivo, a Calabasas resident, brought her Maltese named Ginger.
"I love the cause and love dogs," Garrivo said. " So I decided to come on out and be part of a wonderful day where everyone can get together and share this experience."
Before and after the event, people and pets explored the goods and services available from 40 vendors, including canine treats, pet-owner portraits and dog-training clinics.
Dogs donned custom costumes whipped up by canine fashion designers and strutted their stuff on stage for Project Dogway, one of several contests held throughout the day.
Celebrities judged Project Dogway and the Hollywood Pet Tricks competition. Stars in attendance included actor Joel David Moore from the film Avatar; actress Annie Wersching from TV's 24; actor Peter Mensah from Avatar and the film Spartacus: Blood and Sand; and Fox 11 news anchor Mark Thompson.
Former Mad TV actress and comedian Debra Wilson-Skelton emceed the event, which also featured a silent auction offering a two-night stay at pet hotel K9s.