BERKELEY – On days like this even the grumpiest person will crack a smile looking at a park filled with cute puppies.
Ocean County Recreation’s “Paws in the Park” event located at the Robert J. Miller Airpark Fairgrounds was every happy pup’s dream: the sun warmed the lawn on a clear and beautiful Saturday. People brought their dogs to the event, so there were impromptu meet and greets.
The sight of cheerful dogs also meant the sight of happy pet parents, who were visiting vendors around the event area while letting their furry companions socialize and soak up the sun.
Besides the many small businesses invited to the event with the goal to create a symbiotic relationship between them and the community, it also served as a location for dog adoption.
According to Marc Stever, who organized the “Paws in the Park” at Berkeley event, the day would be a great opportunity for many rescued puppies to find their forever home. In fact, the goal was for all of the animals to be adopted.
“I just love dogs,” he said, sharing that he had multiple rescues as pets during his lifetime. “We will make sure that some of the dogs will find support (today).”
During the event, a K-9 demonstration was presented to the audience. The demonstration also served as a focus for the Child Registry Program.
The K-9 handler who performed the demonstration was Sheriff’s Officer Christine Casullo. In front of the audience she showed the abilities of Drago, the bomb finding dog, and a bloodhound who has the mission of discovering missing people.
She said that the event also had a special meaning to her due to the fact that her first bloodhound was a rescue as well.
Many of the dogs that were in attendance with their owners were also rescues at one time.
Emma, a playful golden retriever, used to be a rescue that was saved with the help of the “China Rescue Dogs” organization, and had to travel all the way from Asia in order to be matched with her forever home.
As for any potential adopters during the event, Valie Greco, a pet sitter, gave this important piece of advice.
“(Have) patience with the dog,” Greco said. “Whatever you put in the dog you’ll get back.”
