The Best MC Gig Ever
by Joshua Routh
A few weeks ago I was invited to MC the Purina Farms Bark Tie Gala, a black tie evening celebrating one hundred years of Purina Farms. I have hosted a lot of events. I have stood in front of corporate boardrooms and swallowed swords in front of stadium crowds. This one still ranks as the best gig I have ever had, and I want to tell you why.
A Night Built Around Dogs
The gala had all the trimmings you would expect from a hundredth anniversary celebration. Wine tastings. A silent auction. Raffles. The Purina Incredible Dog Team ran demos that had the whole room on its feet.
But the real heart of the night was the animals. Ten local shelters brought out dogs and cats looking for homes. People drove in from all over the region, not just to sip wine and bid on auction items, but to meet an animal face to face and maybe walk out with a new family member.
We closed the evening with a runway show. Dogs walked the stage representing each of the past ten decades of Purina Farms, one dog per decade, a hundred years of history walked out on four legs and wagging tails. I have introduced a lot of acts in my career. I have never introduced anything quite like that.
Why This One Hit Different
Here is the part that stayed with me long after the applause died down.
Animal shelters are a cause close to my heart. My wife Ginger and I are dog people through and through, and every single dog in our house came from a shelter or a rescue, not a breeder.
Chalky came to us by way of Open Door Animal Sanctuary, after starting his story at Purina Farms itself. Biscuit came from Stray Rescue. Cleo came from the St. Louis Senior Dog Project. Three different dogs, three different paths, one thing in common. Each of them needed someone to say yes.
That is what made standing on that stage feel different than any keynote or any circus performance I have given. I was not selling anything. I was watching a room full of strangers fall in love with dogs who needed exactly that.
The Need Is Still There
Shelters around the country are full right now. Full of good dogs. Full of dogs who already know how to sit by your feet and put their head on your knee like they have done it a thousand times before. Some of them have been waiting a long time for someone to choose them.
If you have room in your life for a pet, start at your local shelter before you start anywhere else. You will not walk out with a project. You will walk out with a dog who already knows how to be grateful.
If you do not have room right now, that is okay too. Shelters need more than adopters. Old towels. Blankets. Dog toys your own dog has abandoned for a newer squeaky one. And yes, money. All of it matters. All of it adds up to a dog spending one less night waiting.
A Hundred Years, and Counting
I am grateful I got to spend one night helping celebrate a hundred years of a company that has always cared about animals. I am even more grateful for every shelter and rescue organization that shows up for those animals the other three hundred and sixty four days of the year, with far less fanfare and far fewer wine tastings.
If you were at the gala, thank you for showing up. If you were not, find your local shelter and go say hello to somebody who is waiting for you.
