15th Paws in the Park fun for all

Amazingly, the weather forecasts were wrong for today. Menacing clouds gave way to blue skies at times for the 15th annual Paws in the Park Petwalk.

Held at Bowdoin Park in the Town of Poughkeepsie, the festival benefits the Dutchess County Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals in Hyde Park.

Here's the start of the walk.



There were contests for best tail wagging (please, dogs only!), best costume and look alikes (humans and pooches). Here is a video from the begging contest.



There were traditional agility courses, ball catching and Puppies of the Caribbean. A new agility course, with a NASCAR theme, is Tail-adega Nights. Here's a look.



The festival had dog-related vendors and nonprofit organizations, like Puppies Behind Bars, on hand.

Crowds show up to Paws on the Park

Sally makes an appearance at Paws in the Park

Sally, the terrier mix who was rescued from a clothing donation bin in Sept. 2008, came to the petwalk today, accompanied by her owner Paula Clausi-VanSteenburgh of Highland.

It was truly hard to believe it was the same starved pooch from a year ago.

Paws in the Park underway

At Bowdoin Park in Poughkeepsie until 3 pm.

Drink up

With tomorrow's Paws in the Park Petwalk (a benefit for the Dutchess County SPCA), I offer cat lovers out there this video of a very thirsty — and soggy — kitty.

Enjoy.

Are you gearing up for Paws in the Park?

It's time again for Paws in the Park, to benefit the Dutchess County SPCA.

The Paws in the Park Petwalk will be from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday at Bowdoin Park in the Town of Poughkeepsie.

The first Petwalk, held in 1994, raised $9000 to benefit the shelter. About 90 people participated. Since then, the yearly event has grown to include hundreds of participants and vendors and provided a lot of fun on a late summer day.

Last year, it raised almost $50,000.

Besides agility and other activities, the festival this year has a "sport" called Tail-adega Nights, a game for dogs based on sports car racing, dog agility and obedience.

Here are some stories from past blog entries about Paws in the Park.

As of today, the weather forecast calls for cloudy skies with a 30 percent chance of showers. The high should be around 72.

Here's hoping it won't be as hot as in past years.

Directions to Bowdoin Park can be found here.

Dogs to help returning troops with PTSD

The federal Department of Defense is looking into using dogs to counter the effects of post-traumatic stress disorder.

This article in the Kansas City Star tells more.

So the Defense Department is financing a $300,000 study that will pair troops returning from Iraq and Afghanistan with dogs trained to sense when their masters are about to have a panic attack and give them a calming nudge or nuzzle.

These psychiatric service dogs have been assisting people with a variety of mental illnesses since the late 1990s. About 10,000 such dogs are now in use.

New but preliminary research suggests that the dogs may be particularly helpful for people with PTSD.

Researchers presented their findings Thursday at a military health research conference.

Sounds like a great way to spend defense funds, doesn't it?

Thursday morning portrait

And Kate was snoring softly, too. Lucky dog.

It's wrong but funny

I don't watch Conan (I'm a Letterman fan), but apparently he had a segment that had puppies dressed as cats.

Twice.

This is the second one.

Cute.

Oldest dog dies at 21

I know the jokes are "but she was really 147."

Nonetheless, 21 is a remarkable age to live until. Rest in peace, Chanel, who died Friday in Port Jefferson Station on Long Island.

Here's the story from the Huffington Post, with an assist from the Associated Press.

The wire-haired dachshund held the record as the world's oldest dog and was feted on her 21st birthday by the Guinness World Records.

There is another dog, in Louisiana, being scrutinized, claiming 26 years (see my previous blog post here).

That takes nothing away from Chanel and the long life she's led.