Gwinnett Daily Post

STONE MOUNTAIN -- Sometimes, man's best friend needs a little help, too.

The Urban Pet Project, whose mission is to "decrease the number of homeless animals in our community through adoption, education programs, spay/neuter grants and collaboration with other established rescues," is hosting Music at the Mountain on Saturday to raise money for pooches educational and outreach programs.

The all-day music festival at Stone Mountain Park's special events meadow features music by Katie Armiger, Larkin Poe, Caroline Aiken, Roxie Watson, The Shadowboxers and Michelle Malone. The festival will open with a salute to our nation's heroes.

At the event, Urban Pet Project's goal is to raise $100,000 for programs, like the Companions for Heroes "to serve active duty military members, veterans of our armed forces and first responders, many of whom suffer from physical and psychological trauma suffered as a result of their service to our country," according to a release.

This particular program provides an adoption (at no cost) to military personnel, plus one year of pet health insurance, access to a trainer and a gift card for pet supplies. Veterans who are in-patients at local hospital can attend outreach days at the Urban Pet Project to visit with pets eligible for adoption.

For more information about the programs, visit www.UrbanPetProject.org or www.CompanionsforHeroes.org.