Canines get lathered up at Marysville's Scrub-a-Mutt

MARYSVILLE — With the cancellation of this year’s Poochapalooza, the third annual Scrub-a-Mutt fundraiser at the Strawberry Fields Park Aug. 21 is taking up many of that event’s activities, from pet-related merchant booths to “best in show” dog contests.

The dog wash fundraiser, which runs from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. this year, was created to support Old Dog Haven, the Northwest Organization for Animal Help and the Marysville Dog Owners Group. It was started by graphic designer Jennifer Ward and pet-sitter Elizabeth Woche, who were inspired by an episode of Oprah that spotlighted the plight of dogs in puppy mills.

“We talked about doing a car wash fundraiser, but since this was for dogs, we decided to wash dogs instead,” Ward said.

This year’s fundraising dog wash will be accompanied by a nail-trimming booth and a K-9 demonstration by the Snohomish County Sheriff’s Department, as well as a pet food drive to collect donations for Old Dog Haven and the Marysville Community Food Bank.

Old Dog Haven seeks to provide homes for abandoned senior dogs. NOAH works with area animal shelters to rescue dogs and cats that run out of time in traditional shelters, and offers free and low-cost spay and neuter surgeries to pet owners with limited incomes. M-DOG consists of area dog owners working with the city of Marysville to create awareness about, and stewardship for, off-leash dog parks in the Marysville area, including Strawberry Fields for Rover. Scrub-a-Mutt will raise money for not only these groups, but also “Pennies for Puppies,” as a way of thanking the Snohomish County Sheriff’s Department for their participation this year.

“Owning a dog is a big commitment, and with this economy, a lot of these places are feeling its effects,” Ward said. “It costs a lot to feed and provide veterinary care to dogs.”

The Strawberry Fields Park is located at 6100 152nd St. NE in Marysville. The Scrub-a-Mutt website is at http://scrub-a-mutt.org, and includes a map with directions on how to get to the event, as well as online donation forms for those who cannot attend. Old Dog Haven’s website is at www.olddoghaven.org. NOAH’s website is at www.thenoahcenter.org. And M-DOG’s website is at www.m-dog.org.

Contact Marysville Globe Reporter Kirk Boxleitner at kboxleitner@marysvilleglobe.com or 360-659-1300 Ext. 5052.

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