Sunday's "Muttvember Fest" Raises Funds for Pet Rescue Team

After saving 200 puppies and kittens since its founding in July, Mississippi Mutts will hold its first fundraising event, “Muttvember Fest,” in Taylor this weekend.
The Fido-friendly event, which will be hosted by Grit, takes place from 12-4 p.m., Sunday, Nov. 12, at Plein Air. It will feature live music, food and beer tents, kids crafts and games, a pet photo booth, a “Meet Our Mutts” area, a raffle for prizes and more.
Mississippi Mutts is a new, independent organization—founded by former affiliates of the Oxford-Lafayette Humane Society—that brings a new way of fostering pets to Oxford.
Katie Muldoon, Mississippi Mutts’ organizer, believes it has found quick success because of the strategy on which it was founded.
“People contact us saying they found either a pup, kitten or a litter,” she explained. “We get them signed over to us and then take them to a local vet to get them vaccinated. From there, we find a foster home for them until our ‘transport day,’ which occurs twice a month and is set aside for 50 to 60 puppies at a time to travel to Knoxville (Tennessee).”
The foster volunteers say goodbye to their temporary fur-balls and send them on their way to Knoxville, which is the halfway mark for Mississippi Mutts’ partnering foster network in Virginia. From there, volunteers find these animals a forever home. 
Muldoon noted that Mississippi Mutts has been especially successful with Ole Miss student volunteers. Many of them can’t keep a puppy or kitten permanently, but they can enjoy the animal’s companionship for a couple of weeks before the transport.
She pointed out that the beauty of the organization’s approach comes down to one specific detail: The puppies and kittens never set foot in a shelter, preventing “high-risk” shelter problems that can arise due to a baby animal’s low immunity to health issues.
“The goal is to not only free up spaces in shelters so that more attention is drawn to older, adult dogs, but also to encourage people to ‘turn off the faucet’ by spaying and neutering their pets,” she stressed.
These animals have not been spayed or neutered, Muldoon added, and have the potential to continue bringing unwanted litters into the world.
Mississippi Mutts is volunteer-based and completely funded by donations, making the Muttvember Fest a very important event in their continuing success.
You can donate to Mississippi Mutts at MississippiMutts.org and follow the organization on Facebook.

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Olivia Wells is a freelance writer in Oxford, Miss.