For pet owners in the music industry who rely on revenue from touring and entertaining, a veterinarian bill can take a serious bite out of their budget. That's why Miranda Lambert's nonprofit, MuttNation, and the Waggle Foundation have formed the MuttNation Fund to help music community members impacted by COVID-19 with their pets' medical bills.

Lambert (posing above with her dog Jessie) noted, “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. 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."

Lambert, who has nine rescue dogs, added, "It was such an unexpected major expense at an already tough time. So, 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.”

She also explained why MuttNation chose to partner with Waggle. “It was the perfect fit for us. They have all the pieces in place and 100% of the donations go directly to their dog or cat’s vet, so everyone can be sure their support goes where it needs to go,” she said.

Application for the MuttNation Fund is open to anyone who is a member of the broader music community who has a dog or a cat with medical needs and has been impacted by COVID-19. Music community members include musicians, singers, songwriters, engineers, producers, management, music venue staff and other music industry employees.

MuttNation is jumpstarting the Fund with a generous matching grant donation, and the MuttNation Fund at Waggle will be supported and sustained through online donations by caring people who are moved to help after reading the stories about the pet in need on the MuttNation Fund page. One hundred percent of the donations received are sent directly to the pet’s attending veterinarian. If more than enough funds are raised for any one pet, the extra funds rollover into the MuttNation Fund to keep helping more dogs and cats.