5th Annual Mutt Madness Event at Equip Exposition Back by Popular Demand

TurfMutt Foundation to Have Significant Presence at the Award-Winning Expo

LOUISVILLE, Ky., Sept. 26, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- No one gets you outside faster than your dog, and the TurfMutt Foundation's message of getting outside and caring for green spaces will be on full display at Equip Exposition, the international landscape, outdoor living and equipment exposition. Thousands of landscape contractors, dealers, manufacturers and suppliers will meet up at the show, October 17-20, 2023, which features three, fun-filled, TurfMutt Foundation events. 

The TurfMutt Foundation is dedicated to educating people on ways to create purposeful and environmentally-responsible outdoor spaces that everyone, including pets and wildlife, can enjoy. In addition, TurfMutt supports animal rescue, rehabilitation and adoption of animals in need.

"We're celebrating our 40th annual Expo, and over the years Mutt Madness has matched more than 50 dogs with Expo attendees, the people who create the yards that pets and their people enjoy," said Kris Kiser, CEO and President of the TurfMutt Foundation and the Outdoor Power Equipment Institute, which owns and manages the tradeshow. "So, it makes sense for TurfMutt to have a sizable presence this year."

TurfMutt Foundation activities at the show kick off with the second annual Mulligan's 5K Fun Run & Walk, powered by Ariens, on Wednesday, October 18 at 7:00 a.m. The event takes registrants over the Big Four Pedestrian Bridge on the Ohio River as the sun rises and within sight of Louisville's Great Lawn. The event will also raise funds for the Kentucky Humane Society (KHS). Nearly 200 people participated in the inaugural run in 2022.

World-champion, Kentucky-based chainsaw carver, Abby Peterson, will be at the Kentucky Exposition Center, October 18 – 20, to carve a statue of TurfMutt Foundation spokesdog, Mulligan. Every notable chainsaw manufacturer in the United States will be at Equip Expo, and many also will be demonstrating their equipment in the 30-acre Outdoor Demo Yard.

On Thursday, October 19, the fifth annual Mulligan's Mutt Madness takes Equip Exposition "to the dogs" and will bring rescue dogs from the KHS to Freedom Hall from 11:30 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. Expo attendees can stop by to meet the dogs and apply to adopt one if they find the perfect match. The TurfMutt Foundation will also present a check for $10,000 to the KHS.

Alisa Gray, President and CEO of the KHS, added that the impact of the partnership with TurfMutt reaches beyond the Mutt Madness event itself. "The TurfMutt Foundation and the funds they raise for the Kentucky Humane Society positively impacts shelter animals daily," Gray says. "Most recently, TurfMutt's generosity transformed the KHS play yards into Mulligan's Tuff Mutt Park, giving more shelter dogs a fun outdoor space to play with other animals and learn from our behavior specialists."

Kiser adds, "I adopted Mulligan the TurfMutt at Mutt Madness a few years ago, so I know firsthand the benefits of bringing dogs needing forever homes together with the families and attendees of Expo. We're excited to see the matches that are made at this year's Mutt Madness."

Foundation "spokesdog" Mulligan the TurfMutt will be featured in episodes of Lucky Dog during Season 11 airing in 2024. Lucky Dog is an Emmy award-winning show that has been part of the CBS Saturday morning lineup for ten seasons and is produced by Hearst Media Production Group (HMPG).

Mulligan's Mutt Madness is only available to attendees of Equip Expo and is not open to the public. Registration for the show is available until October 15 for as little as $50 (and for $100 after that date). Learn more and register at https://www.equipexposition.com/attendee.

Equip Expo is the fifth largest trade show in the United States and recently received two Grand Awards in Trade Show Executive's Gold 100 Awards program: "Most Innovative Show" and the "Slam Dunk Award: Best New Idea."

For more information visit equipexposition.com, contact the Equip Exposition office at [email protected] or call 502-536-7050.

Photos Available: 
https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fo/uqfu5464iws8cecabxxgb/h?rlkey=s4v8tgmtn67evhda8f8lo117e&dl=0

Embeddable YouTube videos
Mulligan's 5K Fun Run & Walk: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ThoNG5xUrW0
Mutt Madness: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KAXmGezkPj4 

Media contacts
Ami Neiberger, Four Leaf PR on behalf of OPEI, 703-887-4877, [email protected]
Debbi Mayster, Four Leaf PR on behalf of OPEI, 240-988-6243, [email protected]

About Equip Exposition
Equip Exposition, the international landscape, outdoor living, and equipment exposition, is held annually in Louisville, Kentucky, and is one of the largest annual trade shows in the United States. The show publishes equip magazine and is owned and managed by the Outdoor Power Equipment Institute, an international trade association representing manufacturers of outdoor power equipment, parts, small engines, battery power systems, portable generators, utility and personal transport vehicles, and golf cars, and their suppliers. For more information visit www.EquipExposition.com. 

About TurfMutt
TurfMutt was created by the Outdoor Power Equipment Institute's (OPEI) TurfMutt Foundation and has reached more than 70 million children, educators and families since 2009. Through education partners such as Weekly Reader, Discovery Education and Scholastic, TurfMutt has taught students and teachers how to "save the planet, one yard at a time." Today, TurfMutt is an official USGBC® Education Partner and part of their global LEARNING LAB. TurfMutt has been an education resource at the U.S. Department of Education's Green Ribbon Schools, the U.S. Department of Energy, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Green Apple, the Center for Green Schools, the Outdoors Alliance for Kids, the National Energy Education Development (NEED) project, Climate Change Live, Petfinder and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. In 2017, the TurfMutt animated video series won the coveted Cynopsis Kids Imagination Award for Best Interstitial Series. TurfMutt's personal, home habitat was featured in the 2017-2020 Wildlife Habitat Council calendars. More information at www.TurfMutt.com.

SOURCE Equip Exposition & The TurfMutt Foundation