Second annual Brookline Dog Day celebrates the relationship between dogs and people
Vendors and dogs dressed in Halloween costumes filled the field on the sunny afternoon of Sunday, Oct. 16 for the second annual Brookline Dog Day, sponsored by Brookline Rotary, at Downes Field from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Dogs found themselves spoiled as they ventured the field and were greeted with many treats, toys and love.
Brookline Dog Day featured numerous vendors, each a Brookline Rotary partner. Some vendors included the Boston Veterinary Clinic, Belmont Pet Shop and Yankee Golden Retriever.
Dog Day Co-Chair Sharon Herman said she has been thinking of organizing an event like this for many years but wasn’t able to do it until last year.
“We thought this would be a great thing, and last year was the beginning of getting out of COVID-19. We thought it was also very timely given that during COVID-19 the number of pets went up so much,” Herman said. “People were so happy to be here and just be silly.”
Brookline Rotary supports a number of local and international charities, and all of the proceeds from Dog Day will be donated to them. President of Brookline Rotary Marina Brodskaya said Fidelco was one of the main non-profit organizations that Brookline Dog Day raised money for.
“The Fidelco company helps to train the dogs who help [people who are blind]. We work together, and a portion of the proceeds from our event today will be donated to this amazing organization,” Brodskaya said.
Throughout the day, there were different events catering to dogs and their humans. Mike Piazza, who is a part of Flying High Dogs, performed with his dog Mojo. Kids gathered around him and helped him throw frisbees for Mojo and cheered as Mojo performed tricks including a backflip. Piazza said he used to perform at NFL and NBA halftime shows and has since moved his target audience to his community.
“I usually go around with three of my dogs. We perform at lots of kid camps, fairs, libraries, schools, and we do a variety of tricks. But yeah, it’s about the kids and getting the kids involved,” Piazza said.
Herman said she hopes everyone in the community enjoyed the events in Brookline Dog Day. With a wide variety of choices, she said the activities are appealing to both people and dogs.
“We have vendors here, we have nonprofits, we have someone who has two adorable dogs for adoption, we have selfie tents, we have all kinds of events like a parade of dogs dressed up for Halloween and there are different competitions. The police are also going to do a demonstration with their dogs,” Herman said. “[Brookline Dog Day] fits every single need, every single age and every single person.”
