A day for the dogs

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Trap Falls Kennel Club member Lauren Friedman, left, talks with Naugatuck Mayor Robert Mezzo and his greyhound, Awesy, in Town Hall Friday afternoon prior to a ceremony to proclaiming Sept. 8 Dog-A-Tuck Day in Naugatuck. –ELIO GUGLIOTTI

NAUGATUCK — In a few weeks, Naugatuck will go to the dogs.

Man’s best friends will turn Naugatuck into “Dog-A-Tuck” Sept. 8 as the Trap Falls Kennel Club holds its annual Responsible Dog-A-Tuck Day.

“I think it helps everybody to learn a little about being a responsible dog owner,” said club member Laura Hovanec.

Hovanec, a Naugatuck resident, is chairing the event.

According its website, the Trap Falls Kennel Club is an all-breed dog club located in upper Fairfield County. A member club of the national American Kennel Club, the Trap Falls Kennel Club sponsors an annual all-breed point show, obedience, rally and agility trials as well as hosting training classes.

Responsible Dog-A-Tuck Day is an American Kennel Club Responsible Dog Ownership Day event. The free event, which will be held from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on the St. Francis Church Field on Church Street, is intended to develop a bond between dog owners and their dogs while teaching the right training, care, and feeding in a festival-type atmosphere.

All leashed dogs are welcome to attend the event.

“It’s all about education, public education,” said Laura Wells, of Shelton, president of the Trap Falls Kennel Club.

The event will feature a host of free activities including police dog demonstrations, a doggie Olympics, Canine Good Citizen testing, a parade of breeds, and raffles.

A micro-chipping clinic will also be available for dog owners for a fee of $25.

The event is the seventh one in as many years the Trap Falls Kennel Club has put on in Connecticut, according to club members. Next month will mark the first time the event has come to Naugatuck.

“We’re so happy that you chose us this year,” Mayor Robert Mezzo told club members, and their dogs, during a small ceremony last Friday afternoon in Town Hall.

Mezzo, with the help of his 4-and-a-half-year-old rescue greyhound Awesy, proclaimed Sept. 8 Dog-A-Tuck Day in Naugatuck on behalf of the borough and the Board of Mayor and Burgesses.

“We’re very much looking forward to the opportunity to sharing the great work of the folks here today with all the residents of the borough, particularly those who have dogs and do the right thing by them in treating them well,” Mezzo said during the ceremony.

For more information, visit www.trapfalls.org.