Seven team members gathered on Sunday afternoon to wash all dogs, big or small, that came into the store. The money collected throughout the day went toward the cost of running their league, like paying for their practice space and equipment.
“Mississippi Mutts has always been really great to us,” team member Kristin Ricman said. “We are a nonprofit and so we do need to do fundraisers occasionally, and a dog wash has worked really well for us in the past. We are all animal lovers of all kinds, so we always have a lot of fun when we’re out here.”
The team is also a big believer in giving back to the community. They have about four home games a year, and with every home game they donate the proceeds.
“We love to give back to the community,” Ricman said. “The proceeds from our games go back to local charities.”
Mississippi Mutts employee Chelsie Parker said the fundraiser is also a good way to attract business to the downtown area.
“We have fundraisers here once or twice a year,” Parker said. “It definitely brings in more people and maybe even some who may not have otherwise come in. We also like helping parts of the community like the roller derby team.”
Some of the dog owners who came out wanted to help the team.
“We actually needed to get our dog washed and we like to support our community anyway, so it was a win win for us,” said Julie Hopkins who had her dog Lucy here. “I work for an organization that they gave a donation for, so I like to support their fundraisers when I can.”
Cape local Bethany Beggs came to the event with her dog Charlotte.
“We love Mississippi Mutts,”Beggs said. “We’ve come out to dog washes before and we like to support the local business. I try to come to a lot of the events Mississippi Mutts holds.”
