Friday, March 31st Huntington’s canine community gathered in Ritter Park for the Paws in the Park Easter egg hunt. Pups and their owners participated in an egg hunt for treats, prizes, and a costume contest hosted by Huntington’s Parks and Rec Department.
Paws in the Park is an annual event for dogs and their human counterparts to enjoy some springtime fun. Recreation Superintendent for the Greater Huntington Parks and Recreation District Lauren Patrick says the event has been going on since 2016 with a one year hiatus due to COVID.
While Patrick says she loves all of the events put on by the Parks and Rec department but this one is special to her saying, “I feel like Huntington is such a dog loving community and we show that it is a very dog friendly city and the fact that this many people came out after such a horrendous day of weather and it’s just pretty wholesome and adorable and I just love it.”
6,000 treat filled eggs and hundreds of prizes were awarded thanks to the event’s sponsors: Pet Safe, MickSparkins Pet Care, Pet Supplies Plus.
The event closed with a costume contest packed with pups in cute costumes vying for prize baskets filled with treats, toys, and other goodies. The three categories to determine winners were funniest, most creative, and best overall.
Henry Bolen and his canine companion Cupcake won the best overall category, with Cupcake sitting adorably in a decorative Easter basket donning a pair of bunny ears. When asked his favorite part of the event was, Bolen says, “Um, probably winning.” Who can argue with that?
