All About the Dogs: A Mother, a Daughter, and Eight Years of Strut Your Mutt

This 21^st Strut Your Mutt, The Walk to End Animal Cruelty, marks the eighth year that mother and daughter team, Carol and Jennifer Anderson, have strutted for the good of the animals.

Jennifer was volunteering with the SPCA of Texas which moved the pair to participate in their first Strutt in 2018. However, the 2019 Strut Your Mutt is one the ladies will never forget. “That was the year of the rain out,” Jennifer smiles. “It was a deluge—a real downpour!” That race was canceled, then, in 2020, came COVID 19, the year of the virtual Strut.

That didn’t deter the women from raising money one bit. “We were busy during COVID,” Carol says. “Jennifer and I made thousands of masks and sent them to people who made donations to our team for Strut Your Mutt.”

The pair had lots of fabric left over, so what did Carol do? Carol Anderson made a beautiful quilt for the SPCA of Texas Fur Ball silent auction. And she has created cat and dog quilts, which bring in quite a bit of money, for Fur Balls ever since.

Both of the ladies raise funds for their Walk by reaching out to family, friends and coworkers. “I tell people the stories about why it is so important to give money to the SPCA of Texas through emails and Facebook,” Jennifer says. “I hit up my Facebook friends and followers constantly.”

“She squeezes family like nobody’s ever done,” laughs Carol. “I mean, she is all over her aunts, uncles, and cousins to donate. I’m not as good at squeezing people as Jennifer is!”

Carol places photographs of her dogs all around her workspace, along with a QR code to scan, which makes it easy for people to donate. “Everyone at work knows I’m involved in animal rescue, and in my job, I work with wealthy people,” Carol says. “I tell them all about my dogs and how I’m doing Strut. They almost always ask how they can donate. Then, I send them a link.”

This year, the team, “Wiggle Butts Unlimited,” is hoping to raise at least two to four thousand dollars. They are looking forward to the 2026 Walk’s costume contests, although the ladies aren’t sure what they will wear. Or which dogs they will bring.

(L-R) Carol and Jennifer Anderson along with rescue pup Jackson enjoy a sunny afternoon outside. Strut Your Mutt, The Walk to End Animal Cruelty is especially close to this team’s heart, as Jackson was saved from an abuse situation. The beautiful fella has no teeth, from eating rocks and sticks to survive. courtesy SPCA of Texas

Carol and Jennifer tend to foster and adopt older pups, some of whom have arthritis and tooth problems. So, they are mulling over the idea of bringing a stroller to Strut for some of the dogs.

When discussing the differences between men and women in animal welfare, Carol and Jennifer agree that women typically have a more nurturing, empathetic side. “I would say women have a higher level of empathy and the ability to be more patient, especially with fearful dogs,” Carol notes. “It’s easier for us to accept that an animal gaining trust and comfort isn’t going to take a few weeks, but rather, it’s going to take a few months.”

Jennifer adds that women are better at modulating their voices. “Women instinctively lower their voices when reaching out to a frightened animal,” she says. “It helps the pet calm down and feel safer.”

Carol likens training dogs to the time she taught Jennifer and her friends how to drive a stick-shift car. “It was a positive experience because I had all the patience in the world,” she remembers. “I told the girls, ‘No one gets this on the first try, and I can do this a million times if needed.’”

Carol and Jennifer Anderson love being a part of Strut Your Mutt, The Walk to End Animal Cruelty. Both agree that it is “all about the dogs; it’s all about helping the nonprofit that helps the dogs and it isn’t about anything else.

“Everyone gets to bring their dog and it’s really fun. It isn’t political, it isn’t competitive, it’s just families getting together to help dogs.”