Shaggy Shuffle Community Walk Published May 7, 2015 By Senior Airman Sean D. Smith Minot Air Force Base Public Affairs MINOT AIR FORCE BASE, N.D. -- The Shaggy Shuffle Community Walk is an event to let people have fun with their pets and to raise awareness for pet abuse during wingman week. The walk starts May 20 at 3 p.m. in front of the Youth Center. Though pets are at the center of the Shaggy Shuffle, they aren't mandatory. Everyone is welcome to participate, and the walk isn't limited to just dogs. There will be pet contests to go with the walk itself. "We're offering prizes for those that participate: largest dog, smallest dog, best smile," said Laurel Grams, 5th Medical Group Family Advocacy outreach manager. "And for the people that don't have a dog to walk, if you have a cat that's leash-trained and doesn't mind walking with dogs, bring them along." There will be prizes for cats and other pets as well, with titles like prettiest cat or laziest cat, including a category for other pets like rabbits or birds. The pet contests will be judged with votes from the attendees. "The walk itself is about encouraging families to bring out their kids and their pets," Grams said. "We'll take a walk together, then come back and have some refreshments, and some contests and awards." The Community Shaggy Shuffle is about awareness as much as it's about having a good time. "Pet abuse isn't the most publicized issue that we read about," said Sherri McKittrick, 5th MDG Family Advocacy program team member. "But it is serious, and it's strongly tied to other forms of abuse in a household." Family Advocacy stands against pet abuse in itself, but also wants to bring attention to the common correlation between pet abuse and other forms of mistreatment that it can be tied to. "Pet abuse isn't a guarantee that people are also being abused," Grams said. "But it's a common factor often enough that when there's pet abuse taking place, it might be time to look closer and see if there's anything else going on that needs to be addressed." Information and literature on pet abuse awareness will be available at the event. "We're excited for this," Grams said. "The youth center is making homemade dog treats as prizes for the dogs. We'll have certificates and prizes for the owners as well. We're going about it this way because it's in conjunction with wingman week. It's a way to bring out families and get them involved, to get them having a great time with their pets." For details on wingman week events, check out the What's Up @ Minot calendar at www.minot.af.mil.