In honor of Adopt a Shelter Pet month, Mt Pleasant Hospital for Animals, 119 Mt Pleasant Road, hosted its Paws Fur a Cause Celebration on Sunday, October 16.

The adoption event brought together a number of compassionate local animal organizations.

Companion Pet Rescue (CPR) of Southbury, which primarily rescues and rehomes dogs from the south, came with 22 adoptable dogs of all different breeds and ages. Nikki Cassano of CPR said that after only a few hours into the event they had already found homes for seven lucky dogs.

The Newtown Animal Control Center was also present at the celebration and brought adoptable dog Misty, who is a beautiful three-legged Akita looking for her forever home.

Along with adoption groups on site, there was also an agility course with rally obedience demonstrations. Confident Canine Dog Training of Monroe brought 3-year-old Doberman Pupperdoodle, 10-year-old Doberman Envy, and 10-week-old puppy Oprah to show the crowd some of their training.

Helen Wigzell, founder and head trainer of Confident Canine Dog Training, has been working with animals all her life. Pupperdoodle and Envy are her own dogs and loyally followed her every request throughout the obstacle course.

Mt Pleasant lead technician and groomer Mary Simpson took her personal dog, Talla, through the obedience course, too. Under Simpson's guidance, Talla athletically jumped over hurdles, zigzagged through poles, and went through the orange curved tunnel.

Newtown-Strong was also represented at the Paws Fur a Cause Celebration. Therapy dog Jessi sat patiently greeting people at the booth with her handler/owner, Jill Goldie, who registered 9-year-old Jessi as a therapy dog three years ago.

"It's something I always wanted to do, because I wanted to give back to the community. It's a nice way to do that and share it with my dog, who I love so much," Ms Goldie said.

Furry pets were not the only animals represented. There were two groups that set up booths inside Mt Pleasant's waiting room to showcase their exotic animals.

EverWonder Children's Museum displayed its bearded dragon Einstein, and Earthplace of Westport brought a variety of reptiles, including snakes, turtles, and geckos. Both organizations educated attendees about their animals.

Animal photographer Dorian Patrick, musical act Lucinda and Michael, and Girl Scouts were also present at the event. They all donated a portion of their proceeds from the day to each of the animal groups represented at the Paws Fur a Cause Celebration.

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