MIDDLETOWN—An estimated 200-300 visitors brought their canines to the Middletown Dog Park at Maple Hill Park on a sunny Sunday afternoon. A benefit for the Middletown Humane Society, the Aug. 23 “Dog Days of Summer” event featured music, vendors, pet photos, and the chance for dog owners to license their pooches. Rabies shots were also available.
Elly Mason Murray and her daughter brought their dog Cayenne to the park. They wanted a companion for Cayenne, and Elly said it’s important for dogs to be with other dogs. “Someone to play with,” she said.
Animal Patrol Officer Bill Hamaras was on duty for the event and said the Humane Society does a lot of good work in the community. His department finds and tries to return strays to their owners, which is not always easy. “Sometimes the dogs are chipped. Sometimes they have some sort of identifying tag. Sometimes it’s just, ‘I’ve seen that dog somewhere and I think it belongs here.’”
Janet, the owner of Barking Bubbles grooming spa, parked her pet grooming van in the lot. The self-contained pet spa goes to pet owner’s homes in Orange and Sullivan counties and over to Pennsylvania. “We do all the dog grooming inside the vehicle on your driveway,” she said. Windows are installed so the owners can look at their pets while they are getting groomed.
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