These big-hearted animal lovers are celebrating a potent mix of feelgood factors: exercise, friends, kindness, pubs – and dogs. The group of fitness professionals, party lovers and pub owners are busy training for the inaugural Strut With Mutts event on Friday, March 24, starting at 5pm at Woolloomooloo's Frisco Hotel.

In the Strut, part of Sydney's annual Bars March (barsmarch.com and facebook.com/BarsMarch) celebration of bar culture in aid of the Animal Welfare League NSW, eye-pleasing male personal trainers will walk shelter dogs between the Frisco and Surry Hills pub The Carrington.

Both dog-friendly venues are hosting an admission-free party, and everyone's welcome to also join the suburb-to-suburb Strut. Money will be raised from sales of Bars March cocktails and the Hot Dudes & Dogs Calendar, starring the buff boys with pound dogs.

Vaucluse trainer Mike Webster hopes the dogs might meet new owners as they walk.

"I've visited pounds as a volunteer walker and it's heartbreaking," he says. "They're so eager to get out and have a cuddle. This event will be a chance for dogs to escape the cage for a while, and maybe find homes, too. It's a win-win for everyone. We get to exercise, socialise and help the dogs, plus enjoy a nice drink."

The two pubs are among an array of Sydney venues participating in Bars March, including O Bar and Dining, Edition Bookbar, Lobo Plantation, Kittyhawk, Miss Peaches, The Royal Leichardt, Della Hyde, The Butler and Panama House. Each venue creates a special cocktail for the month and donates a percentage of proceeds to AWL NSW.

Full dogs-closure: this writer is one of the humans behind Bars March.