Pierce Park goes to the dogs

Every dog had its day Sunday as Lincoln played host to the seventh annual Paws in the Park festival and dog walk.

Hundreds of canines of all breeds and barks, and their human companions, turned out to Pierce Park for the event, which raised more than $17,000 for Save A Dog, Inc., a local nonprofit dog rescue organization.

“It was just amazing. It was a really nice setting — everybody loved the park. It was a great day,” said Shirley Moore, who founded Save A Dog with her husband in 1999.

Tents housing all manner of pet services and products dotted the perimeter of the park surrounding the main show ring, which played host to a variety of dog games and contests, including Doggie Dress-up
races, shortest and longest tail competitions and a performance by the Blue Dog Group Frisbee Team. Many energetic dogs tried their paws at the agility course and then cooled off with a drink or a quick dip in one of several pools set up on the green.

Some of the most popular booths were the two dog massage booths run by Healthy Critters Massage Therapy and Massage Therapy Fur Paws, where massage therapists offered dogs 10-minute rub downs for $5. Deb Reed, of Massage Therapy Fur Paws, is a certified small animal massage therapist, having completed a 200-hour certification course from the Bancroft School of Massage Therapy. Reed said animal massage is a very new, but rapidly growing field.

“It has the same therapeutic benefits for animals as it does for humans,” said Reed, who has working as an animal massage therapist for about a year. “Animals are very intuitive. Once they figure out what you’re doing, they have no problem telling you where to rub.”

Save a Dog is an all-breed, volunteer-based dog rescue organization with a mission to help friendly, adoptable dogs find homes in the New England area. For more information, visit www.saveadog.org.