Hundreds of golden retrievers and their families gathered in Rehoboth and Dewey the last weekend in September to celebrate the friendly canines and raise money for the Morris Animal Foundation Golden Retriever Lifetime Study.
An evening costume parade kicked off the event Sept. 23 in Rehoboth, where scores of dogs and their owners met at Lake Gerar before proceeding to Rehoboth Avenue and ending at Salty Paws for an ice cream social.
On Sept. 24, a daytime romp was held on the bayside beach adjacent to Hyatt Place Dewey Beach, with an evening oceanside bonfire concluding the event.
Kim Bronakoski, Dewey Golden Jubilee host, said about 400 people registered for the event. While the count is not final, she said more than $2,000 was raised for the foundation.
The study’s purpose is to identify nutritional, environmental, lifestyle and genetic risk factors for cancer and other diseases in dogs. Each year, with the help of veterinarians and dog owners, the foundation collects health, environmental and behavioral data on more than 3,000 enrolled golden retrievers.
The Golden Jubilee is open to all friendly dogs and held the second weekend of May and the last weekend of September. For more information, go to deweysgoldenjubilee.com.