By Adria L. Henderson

It’s 7:00 AM, Monday morning and time for the dogs of Main Street to begin their daily ritual.

The parade begins with the exuberance of Jess, a Black Lab mix who proudly saunters down Main Street with her owner, Lin Hertberg, followed by the jaunty and sometimes comical “eight-step” of a brace of Corgis – Scarlett and Darcey – with Karen Boyle.

These are three of about ten dogs and their owners who walk the morning route on Main every morning.

In the next few Animal Lifestyles columns you’ll get to meet these celebrity dogs of Main Street.

 At 6:45 seven days a week, rain or shine, Lin Hertberg and his best buddy, Jess begin their three-mile walk. Starting at the head of Main Street, they loop down Elm onto to Point O’Rocks, to Deepbrook and then back home on Main. Occasionally, if the weather is cooperative, they’ll stop along the way at The Ram Pasture so Jess can get some extra play with some of her doggie friends.

 Most Newtowners know Lin Hertberg for his many years of coaching Newtown Park and Recreation girl’s softball and basketball teams. In fact, Hertberg was recently honored with an induction into the Newtown Sports Hall of Fame. Not many people know that he shares his home with Jess, his wonderful, six year-old dog. Jess is actually famous in her own right.

Yes, she’s the dog at The Ram Pasture who can catch and hold three tennis balls in her mouth at the same time!

An “impulse” puppy purchase about six years ago from The Pet Connection, Jess and Mr Hertberg spend a lot of time together and have developed a noticeable and very strong bond. She is extremely responsive to Mr Hertberg’s voice and hand signals and has never walked into the street on her own. Jess waits at every street corner for a signal before crossing.

Asked how he keeps his dog under control with all the pedestrian and doggie traffic along Main, Mr Hertberg said that, over the years, he’s developed a system of hand signals for Jess. If he spots a strange dog or pedestrian approaching, Mr Hertberg raises his hands above his head and Jess, who is constantly alert to Mr Hertberg’s signals, stops in her tracks.

Although Jess is extremely friendly and well behaved, Hertberg always grants the right of way to all dogs on-leash and will walk down a driveway when faced with a strange dog or person, the movement also carried out by a hand signal. Considering the large number of doggie and people friends Jess has along the route, you know she makes friends very easily.

 Jess isn’t Mr Hertberg’s first dog to share Main Street with him. She’s his third dog since he purchased his beautiful, historic home more than 30 years ago. Although conceding that Jess is the best behaved of all his dogs, Mr Hertberg says that each of his dogs claims a special spot in his heart.

 About 15 minutes after Hertberg and Jess pass by, we meet Karen Boyle and her two Corgis, the mother and son team of Scarlett and Darcey.

Karen Boyle and her husband, Mark Poirier, moved here from Danbury more than four years ago after searching forever for the perfect, antique house. Never considering Main Street, they looked at more than 50 houses before deciding to take one look at the 1790’s house that is now their home.

It was a summer evening and there was very little traffic and noise Ms Boyle recalls. “It was much quieter than I thought it would be.”

Soon after moving in they found there was a bit more traffic and noise than they planned on, both increasing substantially over the years. But they have never once regretted the move to Main Street. Ms Boyle describes the residents of Main as one, big family, always ready to help each other out. She also loves the sense of community and “small-town feel” when she’s out on Main Street.

Sometimes, Ms Boyle says, people just driving by will wave and say, “good morning.”

Scarlett is the first dog she has personally owned.

“Growing up with horses, there were always Jack Russell Terriers around,” she recalls, but she never really had a dog of her own until Scarlett came into their lives about six months ago. Ms Boyle chose the Corgi breed for their expansive personalities and high intelligence and describes them as “big dogs in small bodies.”

Karen and Mark actually chose one of Scarlett’s puppies, but the breeder asked if they would consider taking Scarlett, too. They couldn’t refuse. At three years old Scarlett has settled comfortably into the Boyle-Poirier residence and is now fixture on Main Street cavorting with her five month old son, Darcey.

Certainly the most visually compelling of the regular canine walkers on Main is the black and white-spotted Dalmatian. Whose dog is that? Look for him (and other Main Street regulars) in our next installment of “The Dogs of Main Street.”

Interested in a once-a-month walk and play down Main to The Ram Pasture for you and your dog? Call 426-5784 to discuss.

Adria L. Henderson, owner of Safe at Home, a Newtown based Pet Sitting business, contributes Animal Lifestyles. You can contact her at (203)-426-5784, at P.O. Box 3008 Newtown, CT, 06470, or e-mail at petfocus@aol.com.