Help get a chance to cover polar bears and orangutans in person. Dogs got to test the wares and many went home with a new treat for behaving so well.Ĭheck out the Hi-Tor Shelter, the only shelter in Rockland County As the festivities wound down, people checked out the latest in dog toys and paraphernalia. My favorite part of the kissing contest was seeing all the techniques dog people employ to get a kiss–kissing the dog, making smoochy faces, nuzzling, treats. The peanut butter contest was followed by lots of drinking water and licking aimlessly at the air.

Dozens of dog owners held their plates high, then let the dogs have at it. The shelter workers carefully spread the good stuff thinly all around the plate so the dogs would have to work for it. Next came the peanut butter licking contest. The woods were that perfect fall backdrop you used to get when you got your picture taken at Sears. The event started with a sponsored dog walk in the woods Hi-Tor alum got to start first. (See photo gallery below or more pictures on Flickr.) I was the volunteer photographer and got to see lots of sweet dogs–not all from the shelter–having fun. One recent adopter said he was amazed at how many different kinds of dogs and cats they have at the shelter–all because of the recession. Here is the shelter’s Petfinder list of available dogs, cats and hamsters. The event got a steady stream of dog people over four hours in Kakiat Park, which is next to Harriman State Park (Bear Mountain), raising money for the shelter. The dogs got to flaunt their personalities and skills, not just show off their good looks.

Sure, many dogs had fun costumes, but the real show was in the peanut butter licking and kissing contests. Rockland County’s Hi-Tor Shelter put its own touch on dog Halloween, with Barktoberfest 2010 yesterday.

Hi tor animal shelter news