Ultimate Air Dogs [Photo; Denise Ritchie]

From teeny tiny tea-cup poodles to majestic Great Danes, curly-haired doodles to fluffball Pekingese, seemingly every variety of canine possible sniffed their way to Riverside Park last Saturday for the seventh annual Bark in the Park, to benefit the Humane Society of Vero Beach and Indian River County.

“This is Vero Beach’s best, largest, drooliest, tail-waggingest party ever. This is absolutely a day to celebrate our canine companions and the human/animal bond,” said Kate Meghji, HSVBIRC executive director. “This is a day filled with joy and laughter and the ridiculous antics of these dogs that mean so much to us in our lives. You see all these breeds of dogs you never see. My personal favorite is getting covered in dog kisses; it’s just the best.”

The canine-centric event was a great way for people to share their dog experiences with one another, and many were doing just that. Human companions of adorable big-pawed pups took advantage of getting tips on everything from grooming to training from others who have been there, done that.

“Watching people with their pets helps us as shelter employees to reinforce the work that we do,” said Meghji. “Sometimes we get really sad, because it’s a hard job sometimes, but here we get to see all sorts of people who adore their dogs. And that helps us feel good about what we do.”

She said that last year, the Humane Society took in over 3,700 homeless animals and adopted out more than 2,000.

“We have big, big plans for 2020 in terms of growing out our programs and services to help people keep their pets and really focus on the ways that we can keep animals out of the shelter for the long haul.”

Meghji said that while the shelter always needs donations, fundraising wasn’t the main focus of the event.

“We have some really wonderful sponsors. Hills Pet Nutrition came in and is our presenting sponsor,” she said. “But this is more about the community and the dog-loving community. It’s just a way to take your dog out and have fun.”

And there was plenty of that, with lots of vendors, as well as shows put on by Disconnected K-9 Frisbee Dogs and Ultimate Air Dogs, and by Indian River County’s own heroic K-9 officers and their partners.

There were also plenty of pooches who got into the act themselves, invited to try their skills at chasing a piece of fabric around a lure course, or emulating the professional diving dogs with some impressive dives of their own.

But the best part was watching as well-behaved four-legged companions, their tails and bodies in constant motion, socialized with humans and fellow canines alike.

“No, his tongue isn’t broken,” one mother assured her toddler, who was concerned by the huge tongue lolling out of a Great Dane’s mouth. Yup, it was that sort of day.