Chloe Is Newtown’s Number One Dog

Docile and watchful, Chloe, a 14-year-old cocker spaniel, is Newtown’s Number One Dog this year.

“I thought I was being pranked!” said Chloe’s owner Anne Hoffmann, recalling her disbelief when she learned that Chloe had been selected. Laughing, Town Clerk Debbie Aurelia said, “I know! I loved your reaction.” Recently, police Sergeant David Kullgren drew the winning tags after Ms Aurelia had finished registering more than 1,600 pets by the end of June — dog license month.

Ms Aurelia and Ms Hoffmann met with Your Healthy Pet store owner Mary Kay Novak and her son Ryan Wednesday morning to present Ms Hoffmann with a gift certificate to the store. Setting the dog on the counter, Ms Hoffmann continued to pet Chloe, who had been abandoned and left at the end of Ms Hoffmann’s then-Greenwich home.

“Someone pushed her out of a car. She was dropped in our driveway,” she said. At the time Chloe was roughly six weeks old. “She was tiny.”

Looking at her dog Wednesday, she said, “She is amazing, she keeps on going.” Ms Hoffmann has had several rescue dogs in the past, but Chloe is the only one now, she said. As Ryan and the women smiled for a photo, Chloe turned her black and white, speckled head and looked at the different treats in her surroundings, sniffed at a water bowl, and turned to face the camera.