Miranda Lambert Launches Fund to Help Music Community With Vet Bills Amid Pandemic
Miranda Lambert is giving back to the musical community and its pets, partnering with the Waggle [...]
Miranda Lambert is giving back to the musical community and its pets, partnering with the Waggle Foundation to launch the MuttNation Fund to help members of the musical community who have been impacted by the coronavirus pandemic with their pets' medical bills.
In a statement, Lambert explained that she came up with the idea for the fund earlier this year after she saw her friend Gwen Sebastian experience an unexpected expense while treating her dog, Earl, for a liver disorder. "It really hit home when my backup singer and close friend Gwen's shelter dog, Earl, became extremely ill in early March, just as the pandemic was taking hold and our tour had to stop," she said, via Sounds Like Nashville. "After taking him to several vets, she was told Earl had a rare liver disorder. Then there were multiple hospital stays, relapses, more hospital stays… Earl is doing great now, but he'll require ongoing treatment for the rest of his life. It was such an unexpected major expense at an already tough time."
View this post on Instagram
Lambert continued: "It got me thinking that there must be a lot more people whose careers in the music industry have been on pause due to lack of live performance opportunities, and who are struggling with their pets' vet bills. Because music and mutts are my two passions, I knew I had to do something and thought that starting this fund would help both the music community that's been so supportive of me and their pets."
The MuttNation Fund will be launched with a matching grant donation from Lambert and MuttNation and will continue with an online donation. The fund is open to members of the music community who have a dog or a cat with medical needs and who have been impacted by the pandemic. Those who are interested in receiving aid from the organization can learn more at wagglefoundation.org/muttnation.
Lambert founded MuttNation in 2009 with her mom, Bev, and the organization aims to promote and facilitate the adoption of shelter pets, encourage spay and neuter for all pets and spread awareness about the importance and beneficial impact of these actions. Earlier this year, MuttNation helped raise over $80,000 for animal shelters affected by the tornadoes that hit Middle Tennessee in early March, which killed 25 people and caused over $1 billion in damage.