A Splash for The Morris Mutts

By Laura Duclos

On Sunday, the Texas Tech Recreation Center went to the dogs.

Dog Day was held Oct. 17 at the Leisure Pool. Each guest paid $5 entrance fee per dog. The proceeds help buy food, supplies and vaccines for dogs housed at the Morris Safe House, a no-kill shelter founded in 2008. Sallie Morris, founder of the Morris Safe House, said the event raised $425 for the shelter.

Owners and their pets played in the pool, made a few laps around the lazy river, and took a a 25-meter race challenge.

Morris said she was impressed by the event. Morris devotes her life to what she calls her “Morris Mutts.”

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“We realized we couldn’t save every dog in the world, but we can change the world for the dogs we do save,” she said.

Before adoption, each Morris dog is spayed or neutered, vaccinated and outfitted with a micro-chip. Morris said it is not uncommon to spend up to $1500 on a dog, and adopt it for $125. The safe house holds adoption events each Saturday in collaboration with PetSmart.

This is the first year Dog Day was held at the Leisure Pool, but it may become a tradition in years to come.

Olivia Harris, a supervisor at the leisure pool, said it made sense to invite dogs and their owners on the last day before the pool was drained.

“We’ve always wanted to bring our dogs here,” Harris said. “Obviously, for health reasons we can’t do that because some people are allergic and it puts hair in the pool, but since this is the very last time that we’re open, we thought it would be the perfect opportunity.”

About JOUR 3312