TurfMutt’s Top Backyarding Moments of 2024

2024 has been a banner year for backyarding. The TurfMutt Foundation, which has advocated for the care and use of green space for 15 years, looks back at its top backyarding moments for 2024.

TurfMutt Awarded Excellence in Philanthropy Humane Hero Award
The Kentucky Humane Society (KHS), the TurfMutt Foundation’s longstanding partner, awarded the TurfMutt Foundation its Excellence in Philanthropy Humane Hero Award.

The KHS presented the award to the TurfMutt Foundation’s president and CEO Kris Kiser at its annual Tuxes and Tails fundraising event. Kiser lives in Louisville and is a 1988 graduate of the University of Louisville.

“Tuxes and Tails is an incredible event, and each year I look forward to attending to celebrate the achievements of KHS, which does so much good for the animals in need in our community,” said Kiser. “I’m honored to receive this award on behalf of the TurfMutt Foundation. We look forward to continuing to collaborate with KHS, which is recognized as a national leader in animal welfare.”

12 Dogs Find Homes at Mutt Madness
At the 6th Annual Mulligan’s Mutt Madness national pet adoption event, 12 rescue pups were matched with their fur-ever homes. The event is hosted in collaboration with KHS. Over the years, more than 70 dogs have been matched with their humans thanks to the annual adoption event.

For the first time, Mutt Madness was held in Mulligan’s Garden Park in the West Wing of the Kentucky Expo Center. “Designed to look like a community park, featuring grass, shrubs and park benches, humans and dogs could connect and play, just like in the real world,” said Kiser. You will remember, he adopted Mulligan the TurfMutt at the 2019 Mutt Madness event.

Unveiling The TurfMutt Foundation Great Lawn
The Great Lawn in downtown Louisville is now called The TurfMutt Foundation Great Lawn. The TurfMutt Foundation Great Lawn highlights how managed landscapes enhance a community’s well-being and environmental health, and advance outdoor learning and living experiences.

“Supporting revitalized green spaces is the next evolutionary step of TurfMutt’s education efforts around the benefits and importance of family yards, parks, gardens, and natural habitats,” said Kiser. “We encourage all cities to embrace green space as a keystone amenity in their communities.”

TurfMutt Identifies the Top Backyarding Trends for 2024
According to the TurfMutt Foundation, the popularity of backyarding will continue to increase in 2025. Backyarding is the act of moving everyday activities like dining, entertaining, relaxing, and working to the outdoor green space around us, such as family yards, parks, sports fields, and other green areas.

“Things are always changing economically, culturally, and in terms of what people prioritize in their lives; however, the importance of the family backyard and community parks remains consistent,” said Kiser. “People have come to appreciate the many health, well-being, environmental, and economic benefits of the green space around us, and communities should be making it a greater priority.”

See what the TurfMutt Foundation says will be the top backyarding trends of 2025 here.

To learn more, download the TurfMutt Foundation’s International Backyarding Fact Book here. To learn more about the TurfMutt Foundation, visit TurfMutt.com, or sign up for Mutt Mail, a monthly e-newsletter with backyarding tips and all the news from the TurfMutt Foundation here. Look for Mulligan the TurfMutt on the CBS Lucky Dog television show on Saturday mornings.