Strut Your Mutt marks 30 years in Salt Lake City

A Highland cow. A birthday cake. The Big Bad Wolf. Even a whole pack of pups riding in a wagon dressed up as the Mystery Machine from Scooby-Doo. Those were just a few of the costumed dogs who turned out on a sunny Saturday in October when Best Friends Animal Society’s Strut Your Mutt took over Liberty Park in Salt Lake City for a day of fun and fundraising for Utah’s homeless pets.

Where else can your dog strut in a costume, take on an agility course, and maybe even share a few thoughts with a pet communicator in the same afternoon — all while making a difference for pets in need?

More communities than ever before are embracing no-kill , and events like Strut Your Mutt help make it possible. Strut Your Mutt participants can raise funds for the animals at Best Friends or their favorite participating animal welfare organization, helping animals at shelters and rescue groups across the country.

At this year’s event, attendees raised more than $50,500 for the animals. That money goes toward spay/neuter programs, adoption events, foster programs, veterinary care, and more. And with all the animal lovers gathered together to strut, area shelters and rescue groups brought adoptable pets to match with new families.

“We’ve been coming a long time, but we’ve brought different dogs, at least four or five others,” says attendee Tena Campbell, toting a silver-faced senior dog in a carry bag. “I just like the advocacy for the animals and the no-kill message. Just getting to be with all the other dogs is so much fun.”

The heart of the day was the community dog walk, with hundreds of people and their pups prancing, rolling, and riding around the park’s perimeter. The pet costume contest drew creative entries, including one three-legged pup who sparked smiles in an IHOP jacket. (We get it, we get it.)

Dogs slurped pup cups and tried out an agility course and a mobile pet activity bus, while their people browsed vendor booths, got a tarot card reading, or chatted with a pet communicator. Every registered walker got a 2026 edition Strut Your Mutt T-shirt.

For plenty of locals, Strut Your Mutt is a can’t-miss tradition. “I think next year will be my 20th Strut,” says Susan Lundeen. “I love it. I have all the T-shirts.”

This year’s walk was also a milestone: the 30th Strut Your Mutt. The very first one wasn’t quite as seamless, with rain and snow and an enthusiastic dog pulling a borrowed sound system into a puddle. But the people (and pets) loved it, and the event kept going.

“Strut Your Mutt holds a very special place in my heart,” says Julie Castle, who organized that first walk long before she became Best Friends CEO.

Three decades later, with more than $13.7 million raised for animals, Strut Your Mutt is still going strong.

Our goal at Best Friends is to support all animal shelters in the U.S. in reaching no-kill. No-kill means saving every dog and cat in a shelter who can be saved, accounting for community safety and good quality of life for pets. 

Shelter staff can’t do it alone. Saving animals in shelters is everyone’s responsibility, and it takes support and participation from the community. No-kill is possible when we work together thoughtfully, honestly, and collaboratively.