Residents ‘Strutt Their Mutts’

At Dog Park Fundraiser

By Andrew Gorosko

Taking advantage of perfect late spring weather, residents gathered on Saturday, May 19, at Fairfield Hills for the third annual Strutt Your Mutt fundraising event.

The Friends of Newtown Park & Bark and the Newtown Parks and Recreation Department sponsored the project.

The event is held to raise money for the planned Newtown Park & Bark complex, which will be an off-leash dog park located near the town’s new animal control facility at Fairfield Hills.

Many of the activities at the Strutt Your Mutt event occurred at The Green at Fairfield Hills, a landscaped area lying between Newtown Hall and Woodbury Hall.

Canine-related vendors were present. Dog-related contests were held. Raffles were conducted.

The centerpiece of Strutt Your Mutt was a dog parade in which owners walked their leashed dogs from The Green to the site of the town’s new animal control facility and the nearby Park & Bark site.

Also, behind Newtown Hall, Newtown Police Department K-9 Officer Felicia Figol and Officer Matthew Hayes demonstrated the skills of Baro, the police department’s German shepherd.

Police use Baro for tracking missing people, apprehending suspects, and detecting the presence of certain illegal drugs.

For details on the off-leash dog park project, visit www.newtownparkandbark.org.