The time a Grammy-nominated musician spent two hours at the Snake River Animal Shelter

Jeremy Ruzumna, a singer with Fitz and the Tantrums, interacts with a cat at the Snake River Animal Shelter on Sept. 14, 2023. | Courtesy Michelle-Ziel Dingman IDAHO FALLS – For Michelle Ziel-Dingman, spending time with a Grammy-nominated musician is one of the highlights of her experience as executive director of the Snake River Animal Shelter. EastIdahoNews.com met with Ziel-Dingman at the animal shelter earlier this week to talk about the nonprofit’s 10th anniversary. During that conversation, she recalled her experience with Jeremy Ruzumna, a singer with Fitz and the Tantrums, during their performance at Mountain America Center in September 2023. RELATED | Community invited to local animal shelter’s 10th anniversary celebration Ziel-Dingman says the shelter partners with Mountain America Center and will often bring dogs to interact with bands and singers to help them unwind before a show. “The idea is to let the performers relax, give them a break and a dopamine rush and provide a really special experience that’s something different and unique,” Ziel-Dingman says. “We bring them in for bands that really like animals.” On Sept. 14, 2023, Fitz and the Tantrums were on tour with the Goo Goo Dolls, both animal lovers. Shelter volunteers brought dogs to interact with the band’s crew before the show. Due to some technical difficulties, band members were not there for the interaction. A touring photographer took some photos of the experience and shared it with Ruzumna and the band later. “Ana (the photographer) told the band, ‘You missed out on this really cool opportunity with the Snake River Animal Shelter. I fell in love with this dog and I think I need it to come back with me to L.A.,’” Ziel-Dingman says. Ruzumna, feeling sad that he’d missed out, called Mountain America Center management after the show. Kelsey Salsberry, the venue’s marketing director, texted Ziel-Dingman, who was in the crowd that night, saying Fitz and the Tantrums wanted to talk to her. Ziel-Dingman later met Ana by the stage, who told her she wanted to adopt the dog she’d interacted with. Around 11 p.m., Ana and Ruzumna met Ziel-Dingman and her husband at the animal shelter and spent two hours with them. “Jeremy is a huge animal lover. He wanted to meet every animal in the building,” Ziel-Dingman recalls. “We probably had about 80 animals in the shelter at the time.” Ruzumna apparently showed some of the animals to his family via FaceTime during his visit. Fitz and the Tantrums band member Jeremy Ruzumna with a dog at the Mountain America Center in 2023. | Courtesy Michelle Ziel-Dingman Ultimately, Ana ended up adopting a dog. Ruzumna didn’t because he had a long tour ahead of him, but Ziel-Dingman says she’s confident he would’ve taken home a cat otherwise. “He was really obsessed with a couple of the cats,” she says. “He thought very seriously about taking a cat home that night.” Ruzumna invited Ziel-Dingman to stay in touch with them and offered to give her a VIP experience the next time she came to one of his concerts. So far, Ziel-Dingman has not taken him up on that offer, but she’s grateful for his generosity and for getting to meet him that night. Several weeks before that encounter, Ziel-Dingman had a similar experience with Ice Nine Kills, an alternative rock band who’ve performed at Mountain America Center twice in the last year. “They were so obsessed with this experience that they actually put it in their rider for their second show and requested Snake River Animal Shelter to come and bring them animals,” says Ziel-Dingman. “We took tons of great pictures. Ice Nine Kills and In This Moment were the two bands that played that particular show and they spent over two hours with us.” In This Moment is returning to the Mountain America Center on Oct. 10. Tickets are available here. Another band member interacting with a dog at Mountain America Center in 2023. | Courtesy Kelsey Salsberry Salsberry says they work hard to ensure the musicians and performers who come to Mountain America Center have an enjoyable experience. There’s a big emphasis in the entertainment industry to make sure performers’ mental health needs are being met while on the road, and she says the partnership with the animal shelter is beneficial. “Touring is really difficult. You’re away from your loved ones and your pets and when they can have some puppy play time, it boosts the serotonin and work level of all the crew members. They light up and they’re a whole new person,” Salsberry says. “Not only is it a win for the bands but it’s also a win for the animals because they’re getting exercise, play time and interaction.” Snake River Animal Shelter is celebrating its 10th anniversary with the community until 7 p.m. Saturday.The post The time a Grammy-nominated musician spent two hours at the Snake River Animal Shelter appeared first on East Idaho News.
Source: eastidahonews.com