BETHEL - Mutts Gone Nuts, a nationally acclaimed comedy dog show that has been presented on stages across the country, will offer a charity show this month for The Exceptional Partner Service Dogs.

The show will be at Walnut Hill Community Church, 156 Walnut Hill Road l, on Saturday, January 28, at 6 pm.

Tickets are $23 for most, $18 for ages 12 and under.

Rescued from shelters and now enjoying showbiz, the dogs featured in Mutts Gone Nuts unleash havoc and hilarity in a breath-taking, action-packed comedy spectacular featuring some of the world's most talented four-legged performers.

The 75 minute long performance features eight canine performers alongside four humans, including world class dog trainer Samantha Valle and her star dog Geronimo, who holds the Guinness Book World Record for Canine Double-Dutch Jump Rope. Hosting the charity show is certified lunatic and master of the impossible, Professor Johnson, whose flamboyant antics charm audiences of all ages.

Mutts Gone Nuts was created and is produced by Scott Houghton; his wife Joan is also a co-creator.

"We are so excited to perform for the communities of Bethel, Newtown and surrounding areas to help raise money for The Exceptional Partner Service Dogs," Mr Houghton said. "What they are doing to help people with psychiatric service dogs is quite amazing!

"Mutts Gone Nuts is a fun show with dogs eager to perform astounding tricks that become part of a storyline involving clever dogs outsmarting their two-legged counterparts," Mr Houghton continued. "Drawing inspiration from the dog acts I grew up watching on The Ed Sullivan Show, we always use positive reinforcement, so for the dogs, it really is a game and they always know it's going to be fun - jumping through hoops, walking a tightrope catching Frisbees. Each dog has a specialty and are doing what they really want to do!"

In addition to performances on stages, Mutts Gone Nuts has received critical acclaim and appeared on

The View, Ellen, The Steve Harvey Show and The Late Show with David Letterman.

Exceptional Partner Service Dogs Founder Abby Hill said she wanted to reach out to those behind Mutts Gone Nuts as soon as she heard about the show.

"All of their dogs appearing in the show were adopted from shelters," Ms Hill said. "The act is hilarious, humane, and complete joy to watch.

"They are talented two-legged and four-legged entertainers, and their mission to entertain and to treat their dogs with love and respect matched up so perfectly with my philosophy as a dog trainer, dog expert, and the founder of Exceptional Partner," she added. "We are grateful for their generosity to bring this show to the area and top help raise critical funds for our program. I am so excited tghat our community will get to watch such a delightful show!"

Founded in Newtown in 2016, the mission of The Exceptional Partner Service Dogs is to transform lives by identifying, raising, and training exceptional psychiatric service dogs to match - at no cost - with children and adults suffering from psychiatric disabilities, while engaging and educating the community in the process. The two-year Exceptional Partner psychiatric dog service training method involves Newtown schools, teachers, and students who are an integral part of raising and socializing the dogs as a community, and educating their peers about mental illness.

Exceptional Partner Service Dogs is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that depends solely on donations to operate. The cost of adopting, raising, training and providing proper health care for its dogs for the first two years of their life prior to placement is approximately $25,000 per dog.

Following the Mutts Gone Nuts performance, attendees will be invited to join a first birthday celebration for Exceptional Partner Service Dogs. Cupcakes will be served, and guests will have the chance to meet the dogs currently in the program.

Service dogs cannot be petted, but there will also be therapy dogs on site that evening who can be petted.

(Audience members are asked to leave their dogs at home. This is an event for humans.)

For tickets and additional information call 203-270-3647 or visit newtownservicedogs.org.