Sugarhouse Park 'going to the dogs' for events

A 2-year-old border collie whizzed through the blue tunnel, over the jumps and around the obstacle course, fast in pursuit of a fake stuffed tail, prodded by the cheers of her owners.

Molly, a dog who trains with a fellow border collie and owners, will compete in the Course A'Lure race today, along with hundreds of other dogs signed up for the 14th annual Strut Your Mutt event.

The event will bring more than 2,000 pets and their owners to Sugarhouse Park to walk a mile and a half, compete for best trick, costume and dog/owner look-alike. They'll also watch other dogs strut their stuff in agility and obstacle course competitions. And besides giving pet owners and their dogs a chance to enjoy some fur-filled fun, the event helps many dogs and cats avoid being euthanized. Such euthanizations reached a staggering number in 2008, said Holly Sizemore, executive director of No More Homeless Pets in Utah, which organizes the annual event.

"We've seen a big increase in the number of dogs going into shelters," Sizemore said. "About 7,000 more animals were euthanized in 2008 compared to 2007. It seems to be a trend nationwide."

With people struggling against a declining economy, more and more have lost their homes and given up pets to animal shelters.

"It's one of those things that most people don't plan on. We try to help them find alternatives so they can take their pets," said Carrie Glavin, volunteer and special events coordinator for the Humane Society of Utah, which organized a pack of animals and volunteers to participate and compete today. "The economy seems to be settling down, so maybe we'll see fewer pets turned in."

Glavin said Humane Society pets participating at the event will be available for adoption at the Sugar House PETCO after the event. PETCO is co-presenting the event as a major donor with No More Homeless Pets, all with the hope of raising money to support spay/neuter and adoption programs.

Besides those programs, PETCO also raises money for a trap, neuter and return program, which gives people resources to fix, feed and care for cats that often hide homeless behind dumpsters, said Erin Fell, promotions director for No More Homeless Pets.

The group expects to raise about $120,000 in its primary fundraiser, all of which will go toward programs designed to save pets from euthanasia.

"Twenty-five dollars spays or neuters a cat, and $50 for a dog," Fell said. "To pull an animal out of a shelter to adopt it out can cost about $75, which helps with vaccines, fixing the animal and putting it in a foster home before adoption."