One of the town’s most beloved community events, New Canaan Dog Days, is coming 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday at the New Canaan Nature Center. Organized by Pet Pantry Warehouse on Grove Street, the free, family-friendly event doubles as a fundraiser for Adopt-A-Dog, featuring a wide range of vendors and activities for four-legged family members.
We put some questions to Pet Pantry Executive Vice President Adam Jacobson ahead of Dog Days New Canaan.
Here’s our exchange.
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New Canaanite: For those that have not experienced Dog Days New Canaan, give us an overview of what it is, as well as some background.
The Pet Pantry “Barktenders” at Dog Days 2023. Credit: Michael Dinan
Adam Jacobson: Dog Days was created as a family fun community event to support critical nonprofit organizations like Adopt-a-Dog and others. We include something for everyone from, live dj, face painting, to food trucks and pet centric games, activities and more. Our partners and sponsors provide free samples, toys and accessories for pets, and educational resources at our events. A few years ago we expanded to Fairfield and we hope to continue growing this “ultimate FUN-raiser” throughout the communities we serve in Fairfield and Westchester County. What people might not realize is that owning a pet isn’t required to attend and enjoy this event. It’s a great place to get to know your neighbors and enjoy the Nature Center. And, if you’re looking to adopt our nonprofit partner organization, Adopt-a-Dog, is on hand at the event with information and adoptable pets.
Dog Days in recent years moved from the downtown to the Nature Center. It’s a great venue for it. What sort of feedback have you received from attendees and vendors about the set-up there on Oenoke Ridge?
Juno Ferro of New Canaan at New Canaan Dog Days 2022. Credit: Michael Dinan
We used to host the Dog Days event in our parking lot although we soon outgrew it. By relocating to the Nature Center we have so much more room for activities like K-9 demonstrations and the popular Dog Lovers Lure Coursing. We also expanded our vendor area and kid zone at the new venue. It gives us more space but also adds to the excitement by being in such a special setting. Money we raised for the event through our sponsors also benefits the Nature Center. Last year we started a partnership with Rock Paper Scissors Custom Events which utilizes the space for a scavenger hunt. You can look for that activity again this year in addition to another pre-event scavenger hunt at our New Canaan store.
Dog Days is one of New Canaan’s true feelgood family events. It’s a town that loves dogs, is my impression. What is your impression of locals as far as dogs go?
New Canaan Dog Days, May 21, 2022. Credit: Michael Dinan
People are really excited about this event and we make sure to put a lot of effort into creating a special experience for anyone that attends. We also have visitors from surrounding towns and it’s just a great way to promote the community and our mutual love for pets and animals. Our staff enjoys connecting with customers outside of the store and we also feel as though this is such a special way to make connections with others in our community. It was really difficult for us to not host this event during the pandemic and we’re so grateful that it’s back and better than ever! We hope to keep Dog Days around for generations to come.
In terms of activities and offerings, what tried and true Dog Days standbys are returning this year, and what’s new?
Ari Jacobson at Dog Days, held May 7, 2023 at the New Canaan Nature Center. Credit: Michael Dinan
As I mentioned the scavenger hunts are newer to the event as of last year, activities that we are excited to bring back are the Dog Lovers Lure Coursing, Face Painting, Caricature Artist, Bone Bar, Ice Cream Pawlour, Sniffari, Doggie Beer Garden, and we all love the Food Trucks. Our sponsors are all attending and giving out free samples. We also have photographers at the events and we share all of the photos through our social media platforms and with local magazines.
Pet Pantry quickly developed a reputation in New Canaan as a great champion of the community, feeding the NCPD K-9 dog and getting involved with things like the Bankwell Pet Adoption Project, among others. Clearly, Dog Days is a signature event. What is it about Dog Days that keeps Pet Pantry organizing and running it each year?
Our customers look forward to this event each year and we are honored to host. It’s a labor of love for our team! Being a family-owned community-based business for over 75 years has really given us the platform to be able to bring the community together in these special ways. It gives us a sense of purpose that stretches far beyond retail profits. Dog Days is about celebrating the special connection that makes everything else worthwhile.