Dog Days of Summer: Sayville's Annual Pet Parade

Pets of every kind – dogs, cats, a bird, a pony, two goats, guinea pigs and a pair of frogs – marched their way down Main Street on Saturday for the 34th annual Pet Parade, run by the Sayville Rotary Club.

Free registration began at 8:30 a.m. in front of St. Lawrence Church and the parade marched down Main Street (where spectators cheered on their favorite pets), turned right on Candee Avenue and ended at Rotary Park, where the judging began. More than 200 pets were entered in this year's parade.

Rotary Club members Harold and Betty have been at every parade since it started. "We are so glad that the weather held out for us today,"they said. "We have been here for this parade for 34 years and it keeps getting better and more support every year."

It was a hot day and the local Cub Scout troops were on hand with plenty of water for the pets. After being walked around the ring in groups of 20, the judges handed out blue ribbons to the 14 finalists.

While the judges noted how hard it was to make a final decision, the winners were:

• Best in Category (Other): Big Bird, a macaw from Sayville owned by Bob Dietrich
• Best Dressed: Foxy Divaliscious of Sayville, who was sporting quite the outfit and also rocking out playing her own piano.
• Best in Category (Dogs): Shane, a poodle from Ronkonkoma
• Special Award: Willy, a three-legged dog from Sayville. The judges created a special category for Willy this year. Willy was hit by a car when he was just one and he lost one of his front legs as a result. But Willy learned to overcome his disability and is now a happy, healthy 11-year-old marching proudly down Main Street with his peers.
• Best in Show: Roxy (mixed breed), owned by Yvonne Perez of Central Islip, who took home a special gift from The Green Dog, a pet store in Sayville.