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  • The Reflector

    Yacolt Mutt Strut returns Aug. 24 benefiting SWWA Humane Society

    5 days ago

    https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?url=00aPlU_0uhMwfzR00

    Last year, Desireee Lorentz kickstarted the Yacolt Mutt Strut to raise money for the Church of Pug in honor of her pet. This year, the Yacolt woman is bringing back the annual event to benefit the Humane Society of Southwest Washington as area pooches strut their stuff in the north Clark County town, Aug. 24.

    Lorentz originally was inspired to give back to pet programs after her elderly pug was in need of a wheelchair. The Church of Pug, a Seattle-based non-profit, sent Lorentz a wheelchair for her pug following their conversation.

    “I reached out to an organization called the Church of Pug because I followed them on Facebook because they have pugs that they fit with wheelchairs and things. It’s adorable,” Lorentz said. “That was the only resource that I knew of that had wheelchairs or things like that. So that’s where I started, and when I called them, they basically told me the process of how to get one and what that all looked like, but by the end of the conversation I had a tracking number and they were sending a wheelchair to me for my dog because he had a need for it.”

    Last year, the Mutt Strut raised $2,400 with roughly 40 participants. Last year’s event included a handful of dog-related vendors and a professional pet photographer.
    All those return for 2024’s event, and a dog trainer performing live demonstrations will be added this year, Lorentz said.

    The strut will take place from 10 a.m. to noon, with residents starting at the Yacolt Recreational Park then moving to the Town Park and back. The vendors will be set up at the recreational park with Bounce and Battle providing numerous yard games. There will also be an off-leash dog park for small and big dogs in the same area, Lorentz added.

    Lorentz said she can die happily just from the happiness the Mutt Strut brings her.

    “Seeing everyone show up with their dogs and being there for the actual event, like, if I would have gotten hit by a car on the way over there, I would have died happy because it seriously felt like all those dogs were there to see me,” Lorentz joked. “Just being there for a good cause and having fun with everyone, I think was just such a cool thing to see. I think that if this year grows on any level, it will just be a magnified version of that.”

    Hosting the event in her home town of Yacolt also adds to the experience for her.

    “I think Yacolt is such a special place, and I feel like it is such a gem in our community that is a little bit overlooked and people think it’s so far out of the way,” Lorentz said of Yacolt. “Some people don’t even know what exists past Moulton Falls. So, I do think that it is special to have events like this in our town. We have a good sense of community out here, and I think that just strengthens that.”

    Lorentz believes choosing the local Humane Society of Southwest Washington to benefit from the event this year will help bring more visitors to Yacolt.

    “An organization like the Humane Society being so broad, I feel like that kind of can draw other people who might not be as familiar with Yacolt, but might want to check out what Yacolt has. This might be a good excuse for them,” Lorentz said. “Yacolt is so scenic and beautiful, and I feel so grateful to be able to do the walk there, and we have such great support from the mayor and the town. It really makes it fun and easy to coordinate and make these things happen.”

    Lorentz invites everyone out, mutt or no mutt, strut or no strut, to enjoy the event to help support a local organization that helps all pets.

    “I just hope to see all the dogs, as many dogs as I possibly can,” Lorentz said. “I think it makes it more exciting. It’s so fun to see the different varieties of breeds that people have. The biggest thing is making sure that we’re being safe, that we’re considering the dogs’ temperaments and the environment that we’re putting them in when we’re bringing them to a public event. But, as long as they are happy and healthy and able to do the event, I’m looking forward to seeing all of them.”

    For more information, visit yacoltmuttstrut.com.

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