A large part of the dog-loving community came together Saturday for Downtown Doggie Day, a morning devoted to the furry, four-legged family members.
There were dachshunds, dobermans and doodles as well as other mixed breeds and pure ones, too, all strutting across the Bo Diddley Pavilion stage.
A 1-year-old Boston terrier named Evangeline took the award for the best trick. She would spin around and around for the price of a doggie treat.
The best costume honor went to Oliver Little, a 2-year-old Yorkshire terrier-Maltese mix.
“He’s my grandpup. He’s my best friend,” said Kelli Little of McComb. “We go everywhere together. He brings a smile to everyone’s face.”
Little said she can’t imagine living without a pet.
“I think everyone needs a pet,” she said. “Adopting a pet is one way of helping an animal that can’t help themselves. Pets bring a sense of purpose and excitement every day.”
Brittany Kyle of Smithdale said adopting a dog is a noble thing to do.
“We love the companionship that it brings to us,” she said of her family’s dogs. “There are so many dogs that don’t have homes and you could provide a good home to them.”
That was one of the main reasons for the day’s event.
PALS was there with a few dogs that were available for adoption and at least one of them did find a pair of humans to go home with.
Karen Hart, a PALS volunteer, helped Mia, a mixed breed who is not yet a year old, find a home.
“We came here to volunteer for Rotary,” said Ben Atwood, who said he is a member of the Tylertown club and his wife, Heather, is in the McComb club.
“Yes, we came to volunteer but fell in love with the dog,” Heather said of Mia, their pack’s newest addition.
“We love dogs. We have four now,” said Ben, noting that their fifth dog had recently died.
“She has her own kennel waiting for her,” he said of Mia.
“She is so mellow,” Heather said of her newest family member.
“I am super excited bringing a variety of events downtown. This is bringing people closer together and stabilizing our community,” said Shaun Thompson, executive director of the McComb Main Street Association. She helped the McComb Animal Shelter and PALS Rescue coordinate the event.
“It was a good crowd,” said Melanie Carruth, a board member of PALS. “We wanted to give our dog community a chance to socialize.”
City officials were also in the crowd of animal lovers at the Saturday event.
“It’s really great to see a community event bringing so many people downtown on a beautiful morning,” said Ward 2 Selectman Matt Codding. Codding brought his son, Luke, 4, and their dog, Nala, a 3-year-old doodle, which is a poodle and Lab mix.
“It is an awesome event and my doggie is having so much fun,” Ward 3 Selectwoman Terri Waterman-Baylor said of Diesel, her collie-blue heeler mix. “I rescued him when he was six weeks old and this year he will be seven.”
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For more information on adoptions, call PALS at 601-250-5555 or McComb Animal Shelter at 601-684-3602.
