Mark Morell needed a pick-me-up. He loved his role as a board member and volunteer at the Garden City Animal Shelter in Garden City, Kansas, but on one particular day last May, Morell was feeling discouraged. "I really felt overwhelmed by the magnitude of the problems that shelters face," he said.
But thanks to a dog named Sarah and a little boy with a big heart, Morell's mood was about to improve.
"To see those two locking eyes….it was so, so special. The experience was priceless—it had such an impact on me. I had to fight back the tears," Morell said, remembering how Sarah and the little boy quickly bonded. Sarah was later adopted by the boy's family.
Morell wasn't the only one moved by the story. Patrick McDonnell, creator of the Mutts® comic, chose Morell's story out of hundreds of entries to the "Super Shelter Stories" contest, which was held in July. Readers were asked to submit stories that illustrated the amazing work performed by their local shelter.
"I was moved and touched by all of the 'Super Shelter Stories' contest entries," said McDonnell. "In the end, the one I chose was the one I felt would most inspire newspaper readers to visit their local shelter and bring home a new friend."
McDonnell's interpretation of the winning entry will appear as a Mutts comic in newspapers around the world on Sunday, November 6. It will officially kick off National Animal Shelter Appreciation Week, held November 6-12.
"In Mutts, my characters Earl and Mooch have loving homes, and are taken care of by doting guardians," said McDonnell. "But I also feel it important to shed light on all the great, deserving animals who are in shelters waiting to become part of a family. So every November, to celebrate National Animal Shelter Appreciation Week, I do Shelter Stories, which is centered on animals awaiting adoption and the dedicated workers who care for them."
In addition to having his story featured in a Mutts comic strip, with its estimated daily readership of 50 million people, Morell will receive an autographed, framed original of the Mutts strip that his story inspired, a pair of round-trip airline tickets to anywhere Southwest Airlines flies, and a Basic Level Banfield Optimum Wellness Plan® from Banfield, The Pet Hospital®.
The shelter featured in Morell's story, Garden City Animal Shelter, will receive $2,500, provided by Hills® Science Diet® and The HSUS, and free food for a year for shelter animals from Hills® Science Diet®.
The six runners-up will receive an autographed Mutts print. The shelters featured in the runners-up stories will receive $1,000, provided by Hills® Science Diet® and The HSUS, and free food for one year from Hills® Science Diet®.
McDonnell hopes that people will be inspired to act on their desire to help animals as a result of the "Super Shelter Stories" contest. "Please, the next time you are looking for a companion animal, adopt," he said. "If you have some time to spare, volunteer at your local shelter. Your life will be enriched for it, and you will make a difference in the lives of animals as well."
Morell agrees. "I love volunteering at the shelter, especially working with dogs who have been abused," said Morell, who has adopted three dogs of his own. "Seeing people find a lifelong companion is more payment than any amount of money that they could give me."
