Photo courtesy of Hand in Paw.
Mutt Strutt
Guests enjoy the 2022 Mutt Strut.
The 16th annual Mutt Strut invites fans of the 90s sitcom “Friends” to embrace a favorite character or theme from the show and join the festivities planned for April 11.
The event will be from 8 a.m. until noon at Homewood Central Park and is hosted by Hand in Paw’s Junior Board.
“This year’s theme is based on the sitcom ‘Friends,’” said Michael Hansen, director of advancement for Hand in Paw. “This year marks the 30th anniversary as an organization, and that milestone inspired the theme. It is a way to celebrate our 30th birthday and honor the ‘friends’ we have made over the past three decades of delivering animal-assisted therapy services across the Birmingham area. Two years ago, we did ‘disco’ and last year, the theme was ‘80s fitness.’ So this theme also fits nicely with that recent trend.”
There will be a 5K and a 1-mile fun run inviting runners, walkers, dogs on leashes and kids of all ages to participate.
There will be a costume contest, race awards, and “good vibes guaranteed.”
Hansen said the event is very family friendly, and while the organization promotes health with the walk/run, the atmosphere is more like a community celebration than a serious marathon or athletic competition.
“We will also have music, vendors, food trucks, a coffee cart and prizes,” Hansen said.
In 2025, the event raised about $55,000 with proceeds going to Hand in Paw’s animal-assisted therapy services, which are provided at no cost to the organization’s program partners throughout central Alabama.
“Events like Mutt Strut help keep those program services free for all who need them,” Hansen said.
In 1996, animal-assisted therapy existed on a very limited number of radar screens and was not being used in Birmingham, according to information provided by Hand in Paw.
Beth Franklin, founder of Hand in Paw, created animal-assisted therapy teams in hospitals, schools, nursing homes and rehabilitation facilities.
From Hand in Paw’s earliest days as a 501(c)(3), Franklin and the board of directors shared a vision to train and evaluate all volunteers and their animal partners, something that is still a mainstay with the organization.
Now more than 100 professionally-trained volunteers carry out Hand in Paw’s mission.
Mutt Strut, presented by Creative Dog Training, is a family-friendly fundraiser that supports Hand in Paw’s mission to improve human health and well-being through animal-assisted therapy across Central Alabama and Tuscaloosa.
Registration will open at 7:30 a.m. with the 5K beginning at 9 a.m. and the one-mile fun starting at 9:45 a.m.
Online registration is open until April 10 with in-person registration available on race day.
Following the event, Good Dog Bar and Park will host the official Mutt Strut “after party” beginning at noon.
Live music, a kid’s area, a food truck and a safe fenced space to relax with drinks while dogs play will be available. Admission is free for registered Mutt Strut participants.
For more information about the event, visit handinpaw.org.
