Dog day at Hitchcock Creek

3rd annual Mutt Strutt a slobbering good time, raises $3,421

By Kevin Spradlin
PeeDeePost.com

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* 2014 PDP Mutt Strutt coverage

ROCKINGHAM — Beethoven has a home. A forever home. Or, in animal advocates’ vernacular, a furever home.

Allison Sweatt and the Richmond County Animal Advocates staged a successful third annual Mutt Strutt on Sunday afternoon at the Hitchcock Greenway and Blue Trail at the Steele Street park in Rockingham. This year’s event was moved from Hinson Lake. The move proved to be a hit, as dogs, children and adults alike took advantage of the natural surroundings and waterway to cool off.

Kevin Spradlin | PeeDeePost.com

Richmond County Animal Advocates is a nonprofit organization aimed at helping animals find their permanent homes. In the two-plus years since Sweatt started the organization, she and RCAA volunteers have worked to educate the importance of having pets spayed or neutered and rescued abused and abandoned animals from irresponsible owners. Sweatt also worked with the Richmond County Animal Shelter and the Humane Society of Richmond County to improve the lives of man’s four-legged friends.

While Beethoven found his furever home, Jameson Garner last week helped to rescue seven puppies facing uncertain futures. Someone found the 12-week-old blue tick coonhound’s at a chicken farm in northern Richmond County. They were about to turn them into the Richmond County Animal Shelter, which has limited space — especially this time of year — and the puppies’ lives were far from guaranteed.

Kevin Spradlin | PeeDeePost.com
These are two of the seven blue tick coonhound pups whose future were uncertain as recently as last week.

Jameson, a student at Richmond Early College High School (not quite 15 years old), said a friend of hers works at the farm, and he got in touch with her. The friend took one, and she took six others home. Jameson and her mother, Melissa, said the family plans on keeping two of them. Homes already have been found for the other four pups.

“She’s an animal lover,” Melissa Garner said.

Garner said in preparation for her daughter’s ninth birthday, she asked friends not for gifts for herself but for the humane society.

The Mutt Strutt was supported by The Hive Recreation Center in East Rockingham, Sandhills Children’s Center and the Rolling Sandhills Civitan Club. Local artist Denise Pittman donated her time and talent and offered face-painting in exchange for a donation to RCAA.