Miranda Lambert’s Nonprofit Donates To City Shelter Improvements

By LYDIA BERGLAR
News Editor

The City of Trenton’s animal shelter is getting a facelift, thanks to MuttNation, an animal welfare nonprofit founded by country singer Miranda Lambert. Although the joint county/city control facility is seeing progress, the city shelter will still be used until the new facility is operational, but it desperately needs updates. MuttNation donated $5,000 in cash and roughly $3,000 worth of items to the cause.

Lambert started MuttNation in 2009 alongside her mom, donating income from her music career and raising funds for the nonprofit. The connection to Trenton all started when Audray Luck of Luck’s Rescue posted an Amazon wishlist to local Dade County Facebook groups.

Luck explained, “The way the dogs have been living down there is unacceptable. They get zero enrichment, attention, or interaction. I’m seeing some major side effects on these dogs because of the stress.”

Luck isn’t an employee of the city, but she’s become an unofficial partner with the city who rescues dogs out of the shelter that aren’t claimed by owners. Some of the dogs she’s saved from the shelter have “hot spots” on their paws and symptoms of stress which weakens their immune systems and impacts their overall wellbeing.

One dog in particular contracted mange, ringworm, and a skin infection due to poor sanitary conditions in the shelter, and this is what spurred Luck to start the wishlist.

Items on the list were cleaning products, enrichment toys, tube bones, stainless steel tables to keep the veterinarian’s work sanitary, storage cabinets, dog food, radios, portable mini dishwashers, and raised beds.

Luck put the radios on the list so that the dogs aren’t sitting alone in silence all day, and the dishwashers are for the toys and dish bowls. This will prevent the spread of disease when dogs leave and new ones come in.

The raised beds are chew proof. Until now, the dogs had been lying on the concrete floor or on wooden boxes, because when the city had dog beds previously, the dogs chewed them up and made a mess. Not only was the lack of beds uncomfortable for the dogs, but Luck was also concerned about the wooden boxes becoming contaminated.

She shared this wishlist only with local groups because she wanted to show the city and county that there is local support for animal welfare. Donations poured in from locals, with some individuals even purchasing about $1,000 worth of items, but some items remained.

Then, Amanda Terrell (a citizen who saw the list) reached out to multiple organizations, including MuttNation, explaining the need and that people are trying to make improvements to animal welfare throughout the county. The nonprofit’s director responded to Terrell and then connected with Luck. After learning more about the need, MuttNation purchased the remaining items on the list, which Luck estimates cost about $3,000.

MuttNation also donated $5,000 in cash for improvements to the city shelter. Luck plans to deep clean the facility, replace wood that the dogs have destroyed by chewing, and seal the cinder blocks.

While the nonprofit’s director was the main contact at MuttNation, Lambert herself is also aware of the need in Dade. The director told Luck that she had talked with Lambert, and the team was moved by the work showcased on the Luck’s Rescue social media pages. The director said that Lambert has such a big heart and surrounds herself with people who also have a big heart, and Luck’s Rescue fits the bill.

Having her hard work recognized by Lambert and the MuttNation team made Luck emotional, and she’s thankful for the affirmation and support from the community and Lambert. One of her goals was to partner with a celebrity, and thanks to Terrell’s initiative, that goal was reached earlier than Luck had imagined.

There’s also the possibility of future support from MuttNation. If Luck and the city can put this initial donation to good use, the nonprofit is willing to consider helping again in the future. Therefore, it’s important to get started on the improvements quickly and show the results to MuttNation.

The nonprofit has many grants available. The director told Luck about a few that might be good fits for Dade, one of which is the new shelter grant. The nonprofit takes this $25,000 grant very seriously and has only awarded it twice ever. Shelters must operate for a full year before being able to apply, because MuttNation wants to see evidence of quality operations and local community involvement.

Luck said, “If we can do things right and show them our shelter is succeeding, that it’s not just a kill box, they will support us.”

Another bonus of having this first donation from MuttNation under our belts is that Luck’s Rescue (and the city and county) can cite this as a successful grant to encourage other organizations to join the cause. Having a track record of receiving grants and putting them to good use can be helpful when applying for other grants.

Echoing what Monda Wooten (city street commissioner) has said about volunteers helping out with the future joint facility once it’s built, Luck reflected that people like joining efforts that already have something established. It gives them something to get behind and get excited about. Luck added that she would also like to see the jail trustees work at the shelter and/or joint facility.