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By Joseph Pratt
Schools are out for the summer and senior representatives from nearly every school are planning community service projects as part of their platform to take the crown of Miss River Days. Each young lady is required to host a benefit for a special cause of their choosing and each contestant is asked to help each other and volunteer to promote goodwill and sisterhood.
Breanna Burgett, Miss Glenwood, held the event for her platform, Must Be a Mutt, over the weekend. Being an avid animal lover and having an adopted pooch of her own, she felt like her platform should benefit animals. This was where she came up with the idea to host a dog festival, crowned by the main event of an amateur dog pageant in the stadium of her high school.
“I am really passionate about animals and I got the idea from my dog Miya. I adopted her from someone locally who was going to take her to the pound and she had worms and fleas and all of that. It was just sad to see that happen and I want everyone to have that feeling of saving an animal and giving it their love, because everyone deserves a second chance.”
Burgett claimed that everything went well and the turnout was successful, meeting her goal of $300. She also stated that she will continue to accept donations throughout summer. The entirety of her work will be benefiting Sierra’s Haven for New and Used Pets.
“I just knew I wanted to raise awareness for animal adoption and Sierra’s Haven,” Burgett said. “I also wanted to raise money to assist the organization. “
Burgett said that her pageant was very informal, but it was very fun for everyone who participated.
“I think everyone really loved the pageant. I got a lot of compliments from people who said they loved watching the dogs participate,” Burgett said. “It was funny, because not all of the pets cooperated, because it was a very amateur pageant. One even peed on a fern loaned to us by the Shake Shoppe, where I work. It was funny and had lots of cute little stuff like that going on.”
Burgett said that she spent a lot of her childhood moving to different parts of the country, because of her father’s involvement in the military, but she returned to her native village of New Boston when she was seven.
“When I was seven and I came back home, I remember watching the parade and seeing the float for the River Days Pageant and I instantly knew I wanted to be the girl on the float one day,” Burgett said. “I am just so happy that my school and peers voted for me to have this opportunity. I just feel great to represent my Tiger family.”
Reach Joseph Pratt at 740-353-3101, ext. 1932, or by Twitter @JosephPratt03.
