Canines Flock to New Canaan for ‘Dog Days of Summer’

The second annual "Dog Days of Summer" on Sunday afternoon brought dozens of pet owners and their four-legged companions to downtown New Canaan for a day of pooch-focused learning, playing and socializing.

Kicking off at noon, 'Dog Days' was jam-packed with activities, as canines of many breeds and lineages -- from Golden Retriever to poodle and Maltese -- put their paws to the pavement for competitions such as "Smooching with Your Pooch," a K-9 police unit demonstration and lectures from longtime dog breeders and veterinarians.

"I want to say we had 1,000 people here," said Tucker Murphy, president of the New Canaan Chamber of Commerce. "Between 12 and 2, it was hummin."

When they weren't being toted around, nibbling on doggie treats from vendors or partaking in activities, dogs welcomed water "cooling" stations for a break from the hot, 90-degree weather.

Organizers said that unlike last year, when activities and vendors were spread out across the entire downtown New Canaan area, this sophomore event was much more organized, and limited to just a a single section of Cherry Street, and in the parking lot of the Village Critter Outfitters pet store.

"We wanted this event to be a healthy, safe fun event," said event co-organizer Dr. Cynthia Fox, a pet consulant with the Village Critter Outfitter and owner of an Afghan hound. "This was for every level, from the advanced dog owner looking to do sports with their dog to the new owner."

For some, like Kat Munson, a high school English teacher who works and lives in New Canaan, the event was a great chance for her puppy, a nine-month-old Vizsla named Bernie, to make friends.

"It's good to expose him to this sort of thing so he is comfortable being around kids," Munson said. "When I first got him, he was really shy around other people."

Others partook in many fun activities like the "Dunkin' Dogs" competition, where pets were judged for their enthusiasm in diving snout-first into a big metal pail of water to fetch savory organic hot dogs donated by The Filling Station, a local restaurant. 

Few seemed to have a better time than Danbury resident Amy Boyd, whose feisty Boxer-Australian Shephard mix pup Beatrice won the 'Dunkin' Dogs' competition -- and a gift bag from Village Critter Outfitter. 

"She's pretty good at stealing food that's not hers so I'm not surprised she won," Boyd said. "But I'm pretty happy." 

Certain events, tent displays and lectures took on a more serious tone. 

Smith Ridge Veterinary Center's Martin Goldstein, author of "The Nature of Animal Healing: The Definitive Holistic Medicine Guide," focused on alternative treatments, using his hour-long lecture as a forum point out what he saw as "flaws" in veterinary medicine -- as well as over-processed pet foods. 

"It's amazing how many people are health-oriented but are clueless about the health of their dog," Goldstein said. "The entire pet food industry was created by a false foundation of science."  

On the bright side, local shelter Strays & Others, whose booth was filled with heartwarming photographs of dogs from the shelter, received four applications for dogs, according to volunteer Marcia Fallon.

Overall, organizers declared the day a success. Murphy said she and co-organizers hope to make next summer's event even better.  

"Just getting all these people out on a summer day was great," Murphy said.

Download the movie