Miranda Lambert attends the Miranda MuttNation March at Nissan Stadium on June 8, 2017 in Nashville, Tennessee.
Rick Diamond/GIMiranda Lambert is spreading the love this week in honor of Valentine’s Day.
The “If I Was a Cowboy” singer’s MuttNation Foundation is helping out 20 pet rescue shelters across the country, in states including California, Maine, Missouri, Tennessee, Texas, Wisconsin and more. The foundation will give a $1,000 grant to each shelter.
MuttNation also launched an interactive “Mutt Match” quiz to help match people who want to help pets who have a harder time getting adopted, including larger dogs, special-needs dogs and senior dogs.
Lambert began volunteering at animal shelters when she was a teenager and has five rescue dogs, along with numerous cats, rabbits and horses.
“Shelter pets – especially the ones that are hardest to get adopted – and the people who care for them, have always had my heart,” Lambert said in a statement. “Valentine’s Day gives me one more chance to show just how special they all are to me.”
Lambert and her mother Bev Lambert launched MuttNation in 2009 to help support shelter pets in various ways, including raising pet adoption awareness, providing financial support to vetted shelters and offering monetary, hands-on and transport assistance during times of emergencies and disaster.
Last year, the Country Music Association teamed with Lambert’s MuttNation Fund to help music industry professionals impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic who were facing difficulties in paying medical expenses for pets. As part of the CMA’s Music Industry COVID Support effort, the CMA funded vet services and pet food supply for qualifying members of the music community.
Lambert is currently nominated for two Grammys during the upcoming April 3 ceremony, including best country album for The Marfa Tapes, her collaborative album with Jon Randall and Jack Ingram. Lambert is also nominated for best country duo/group performance for her Elle King collaboration “Drunk (And I Don’t Wanna Go Home).”
Taylor Swift believes Nashville has a music scene that stands apart from anywhere else.
The 36 year old singer moved to Nashville, Tennessee, when she was young to chase her dream of becoming a country music star. After being inducted into the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame on Monday (26.10.26), Taylor took the opportunity to recognise the city and the talented writers who have helped shape its music scene.
In her acceptance speech, Taylor said: "I believe you really get to master a craft by doing it again and again. That's exactly what the incredible songwriters in this wonderful town do every day."
Taylor also spoke about what makes Nashville such a special place for musicians.
The award winning singer, who ranks among the best selling music artists of all time, said: "You won't find another music community quite like this one. Trust me, I've checked them all."
Taylor also shared how being part of Nashville's songwriting scene had taught her valuable lessons about life and working with others.
She joked: "I've learned to be flexible when your co writer turns up with a hangover, or when they need to spend ages talking about their divorce before we can even get started on a song."
Taylor previously spoke about how Faith Hill and Shania Twain inspired her decision to move to Nashville.
Speaking to Time magazine, the singer said: "I couldn't get enough of watching TV biographies about Faith Hill and Shania Twain, and I realised they had both moved to Nashville to get their careers started. After that, I kept asking, pleading and begging my parents to take me there.
"When I was 11, my mum took my brother and me to Nashville during spring break, and we spent the trip driving around Music Row. She stayed in the car while I rushed into record companies one after another, giving my demo CD to the receptionists. I found it fascinating that so many major record labels were gathered along a single street, often inside little buildings and old houses.
"What really stayed with me was how welcoming people were to newcomers and complete strangers like us. We started visiting Nashville more often, and when I was 13, I received an offer for a development deal from a major record label. That was when my parents finally agreed to leave Pennsylvania and move with me."
