Eighth Annual Mutt Strut Nets $70,000 for Dearborn Animal Shelter

Pet lovers turned out en masse for Saturday's Mutt Strut fundraiser for the Dearborn Animal Shelter.

The Mutt Strut & Pet Expo is the largest gathering of pet fans in the area, and this year it raised more than $70,000, Kelle Sisung, development director for the Friends for the Dearborn Animal Shelter said.

"Without this event, we couldn't help rescue a lot of the animals," she said.

This year's top individual pledge winner was Dolores O'Berts ($1,447). Tom Fisher also received $1,300 in pledges.

The K-9 Explorers, led by shelter manager Heather Mehi, raised $15,984 in pledges as a team. Mehi individually raised $11,800. The Golden Girls team raised $4,000 for second place, and Dearborn Family Pet Care raised $3,500 in pledges.

"This is a fantastic event," Mehi said. "I love all of the animals at our shelter, so every year I try to beat my fundraising total from the previous year. The city, along with our community partners, are wonderful supporters of what we do at the shelter."