Chrissy Williams
Shepard Stadium flourished with four-legged success stories on Sunday, when approximately 8,000 pooches and their people weathered mild rain for a canine celebration.
The 6th annual Nuts for Mutts was coordinated by New Leash on Life, a no-kill, nonprofit animal shelter primarily for dogs based in Newhall. It is for dogs like Winston that Nuts for Mutts exists.
When Winston was found in a gutter in South Central L.A. both of his front legs were shattered. His right leg was macerated and infested with maggots. He had also developed Dog Skin Allergies. Winston was just six weeks old. A man found him and called Toni Eakes, who founded “A Wish for Animals,” a non-profit animal rescue organization.
Eakes took Winston to an animal critical care unit, which is where Nicole Rawnsley, now 23, met the pit bull mix.
Rawnsley, who currently studies veterinary science at California State University, Channel Islands, was working at the clinic when Winston was brought in and it was “love at first sight.”
The doctors told her that he might not survive after the operation and that even if he did, he would lose his right leg. Rawnsley said she didn’t care.
“He was coming home with me.”
Winston has thrived under her care, participating Sunday in his second Nuts for Mutts event. Last year, he took third place in Best Physically-Challenged. Rawnsley said this year she “wanted to give him more of an opportunity.”
Winston qualified in all three of his competitions, Best Smile, Best Pit Mix and Best Physically-Challenged, in which he took third place again. Winston then went on to take second place in Best in Show. He will turn three on April 28.
The top three finishers for Best in Show were, in fact, all missing appendages. First place went to Binky, a Chihuahua mix born with only two back legs.
Owner Sylvie Forrest said she thought “some backyard breeder trying to make a new concoction” was responsible for Binky’s deformity.
“Binky is 18 months old, hops like a kangaroo and couldn’t be happier,” said emcee Debra Wilson of “Mad TV” as she announced Binky for the Best in Show competition.
There was a menagerie of other mutts meandering about, ranging from Sparky, the 3-pound Chihuahua, to Abraham, a 225-pound Tibetan mastiff.
There was Lillybelle, a pup dressed as Paris Hilton: clad in blonde wig, mini-skirt and, as Wilson announced, without underwear, and Sluggo, an English bulldog-beagle mix who “looks like a North Korean soldier walking around,” said owner Tim Rundall.
Pet parents browsed among a variety of vendor booths, which included a square patch of grass with many a perching pup called the “Pet a Potty,” a “Pet Portraiture” photo studio and booths for lint rollers, kennel companies, caterers and carnival events for the kids.
A 2007 Honda Element was raffled off for $50 tickets. The winner, Beth Berish of Sunland, a devoted Nuts for Mutts attendee, bought a single ticket online. Her dog recently had surgery, so she was not present at the event to claim her prize in person, but she still won the car.
Songwriter Freebo performed his “Dog People” CD at the food court, singing a number of songs including, “Shaggy,” “She’s my D.O.G.” and “My Dog Has Fleas.”
On his album, Freebo emphasizes “a friendship between man and beast that often goes beyond human friendship, a friendship that is as old as mankind itself.”
Freebo played bass for Bonnie Raitt, John Mayall and Crosby Stills & Nash. This is his first time attending Nuts for Mutts and he and his 11-month Golden Retriever Harlow plan to return next year.
Celebrities attending the event included Wilson, Andrea Bowen of “Desperate Housewives,” Holly Fields of “The O.C.,” Robert David Hall of “CSI,” Ian Somerhalder of “Lost” and Fred Willard of “Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy.” Kim Basinger was scheduled to host the event but was a no-show.
Back in the office on Monday, event coordinator Alec Isbell said the event was a big success. “We’re all incredibly happy with how everything went,” she said. Nuts for Mutts is New Leash on Life’s largest fundraiser, but the paperwork was not yet in to know any figures.
New Leash on Life is currently focusing on a new project called “Lend a Paw,” which involves rescuing dogs and training them in obedience and therapy service for autistic children, who often lack the social skills necessary for making friends.
The social therapy dog becomes an unconditional friend to the child, often serving as a bridge for communication.
Wilson told the audience of an autistic girl who could not attend school because of her acute condition. After several months of having her social therapy dog, she was attending a regular school and interacting with other children. There will be a “Walk for Paws,” a new event for the Lend a Paw program, taking place in October.
For further details, visit NewLeash.org.
Lillybelle, dressed as Paris Hilton, and her human companion Rachel Herrera, 35, compete in the Best Dressed Catagory in the sixth annual Nuts for Mutts dog show. They won first place in their catagory. ()