The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
HOW COUPLE HAVE BROUGHT HOPE TO MANY NEGLECTED DOGS
It’s a sweet existence for Gilbert, Lamb Chop, Secret Squirrel, Little and Goo — all dogs adopted by Sally and Chris Mars.
The canine quintet has the run of a red two-story house in Minneapolis. Their lives today are a far cry from what had appeared to be their destiny. All of them were plucked from misery: abused, neglected, abandoned, hoarded or overbred in a puppy mill.
“He’s the reason we have five dogs,” said Sally Mars, 55, gesturing to her husband.
“I’m not built to foster,” admitted Chris Mars, 58. “I get too attached.”
After years of volunteering with animal rescue organizations, the couple founded their own last February. Mutt Mutt Engine began with the goal of helping one dog a month. Their project quickly exceeded their dreams. By September, the fledgling nonprofit had helped 55 dogs escape desperate fates.
Mutt Mutt Engine benefits from the talents and fame of its creators. Sally Mars is an accomplished photographer and television commercial producer. Chris Mars has earned international renown as a painter; his first career making art was as drummer in the Replacements, the legendary Minneapolis rock band.
Mutt Mutt Engine has become a crucial link in a chain that brings dogs to adoptive homes.
Sally Mars has built connections with small rescue organizations in Mexico and elsewhere that help dogs without owners. She uses social media and her personal network to find travelers who will escort those dogs to partner rescue and foster groups across the U.S. Travel costs are underwritten by Mutt Mutt Engine and its donors.
Andrea Grigg has volunteered to escort several dogs for Mutt Mutt Engine, mostly from Puerto Vallarta, Mexico. A dog lover and weekly business traveler thanks to her career in hotel asset management, Grigg has found it an easy way to help.
“An animal doesn’t have a voice or a way to change its fate. Only humans can do that,” Grigg said.
Mutt Mutt Engine’s mission extends to supporting small rescue startups in far-flung places, where the concept of responsible pet ownership is often new.
“People ask: Aren’t there local dogs who need help?” Sally Mars said. “Minnesota has a culture of rescue; there are not many strays, and there’s lots of infrastructure to take care of them.”