TV’s Murray to Star at Animal Benefit

Murray, the canine star of the popular television series “Mad About You,” will be the grand marshal of the second annual DAWG Walk around Lake Mission Viejo on Saturday.

“I’ve gotten a ton of calls from people who want to make sure Murray is going to be there,” said Sharon Cody, president of the Dedicated Animal Welfare Group, which is putting on the walkathon. “People love this dog.”

The event will take place at Lake Mission Viejo at 9 a.m. Registration starts at 7:30 a.m., and the $20 cost covers a T-shirt and dog scarf.

Proceeds will go into a medical fund for strays at the Mission Viejo Animal Shelter. The shelter spends about $20,000 on medical expenses for animals each year, most of which is raised by DAWG, a volunteer group based at the shelter.

The medical fund recently paid for orthopedic surgery on a year-old Lhasa apso named Harry, whose hindquarters were shattered by a car.

“At another shelter that wasn’t pro-life, the only choice would have been to euthanize him,” Cody said.

People without pets who want to participate in the walk around Lake Mission Viejo can borrow one of about a dozen dogs that will be brought from the shelter.

Information: (714) 470-3045.