Monday for Mutts' encourages pet owners to spend the day outside with their canine pals

By: Candace Tracy

Posted: 4/11/08

Holly walks through the Syracuse University quad and has a hard time finding someone just like her. Holly, an 8-year old golden retriever and the pet of Brenda Wrigley, a public relations professor, was the inspiration for "Mutts for Monday," a dog-walk on the Quad.

Sponsored by campus-wide initiative Healthy Monday, "Monday for Mutts" is a free event where Syracuse University students, faculty and staff are invited walk their dogs

together on the Quad.

"Monday for Mutts" will take place on April 14th from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. on the Quad.

Wrigley proposed the idea, designed to promote a fun approach to health awareness.

Described as "the biggest dog lover ever," Wrigley proposed a walking event in response to Healthy Monday's call for health, wellness and stress reduction mini-projects, said Rebecca Langford, Healthy Monday program manager and a media studies graduate student.

The inspiration for "Monday for Mutts" came from Wrigley's 8-year-old golden

retriever Holly, who often accompanies her to work.

"Students always say, 'Oh I miss my dog' when they see Holly," Wrigley said. "So, I decided to propose a walking event."

Within 24 hours of submitting a proposal to Healthy Monday, Wrigley received a response from Langford. The event is being organized by a team of public relations students in Wrigley's PRL 206 class.

"I gave them the option to attend a speaker or join this team, for practice with event

planning," Wrigley said. A group of students have been meeting once a week for the past

month to plan and promote "Monday for Mutts."

Nicole Savva, a sophomore retail management major, created a Facebook group to build awareness about the event. Other students wrote press releases, designed flyers and manned an informational table at the Schine Student Center with Wrigley's dog, Holly, as a special guest. As a sister of one of SU's sororities, Savva has also been promoting the event within Greek Life, because many fraternities have "house dogs," she said.

Response to the event has been positive thus far, with approximately 50 participants

registered as of Wednesday. The goal is to make "Monday for Mutts" an annual event,

Langford said.

"People are very excited," Wrigley said. "I was surprised by how many people off-campus have dogs."

The aim is to motivate everyone to get involved and start exercising, not just dog owners, according to the press release.

"What's going to happen is, if the owners are OK with it, students can walk another

person's dog," said Ari Lipsky, a student in PRL 206 and member of the "Monday for Mutts" team.

To ensure the safety of humans and canines, all dogs must be leashed, up to date on vaccinations and remain within the parameters of the event space, which will be marked by chalk paw prints. With every lap, dogs and walkers are eligible for prizes like leashes, sweaters, collars, bowls and gift certificates, Wrigley said.

Milkbones will also be available at the finish line for the hungry participants, though

walkers can opt for healthy, people-friendly snacks if they prefer.

cktracy@syr.edu