Dog Day hoping to be a howling success

There will be a celebration for dogs of all shapes and sizes today, Saturday, October 23. This year, the Boardwalk Merchants, the City of Ocean City, the Humane Society of Ocean City, and Republic Bank are coming together for Dog Day and the Howl-O-Ween Parade. 

“It’s a great end of season feel-good event. There’s been a lot of talk over the years about a dog event and it’s a good time,” said Wes Kazmarck, head of the Boardwalk Merchants Association. 

“We’re super super excited because this was put together by the Ocean City Boardwalk Merchants who wanted to do something dog friendly,” said Phil Bellucci, director of operations at the Humane Society of Ocean City.  

This isn’t the first dog event the Humane Society has done on the Boardwalk. They used to hold a summer parade. 

“In the past, we’ve done the Show us your Paws Parade. As soon as you hit 14th street, you were off the Boardwalk,” said Phil. “Typically for the Show us your Paws Parade, we had 50 dogs. With the buzz that’s going around this, we’re excited. We don’t know what to expect but I think we’re anticipating it could be bigger than what we imagined.”

From 9am-5pm, leashed dogs will be allowed on the Boardwalk. At noon, there will be the crowning of the Pet of the Year. 

“It’s a big big connection that people have with their animals. It’s important to celebrate that,” said Phil. 

At 3pm, there will be a Howl-O-Ween Parade from 6th-12th street. The Philly Phanatic will be on hand to celebrate. Registration is open for the parade.

“We’re hopeful that we’ll have a really good parade. The city hopefully will want to do more dog events in the future,” said Phil. 

There will also be dog-specific vendors on hand as well as the arrival of Santa Paws for pet photos. 

There are some things pet owners should keep in mind before they stroll the Boardwalk with their pooches to create a happy and safe event. 

“Keep your dog on a non retractable leash, scoop the poop, and keep a space cushion between dogs and people that you don’t know,” Phil said. “We’re going to be up there as animal control.” 

The Humane Society is ready for a fun event.

“I think it’s going to be really really good. I think from a dog lovers perspective, it’s going to be great. I think people are generally excited. The dogs will get their day on the 23rd.”