Potomac Almanac

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A Dog Day Afternoon

Canine companions showed their stuff on Saturday, May 17, when their families brought them to the Bethesda Chevy Chase Rotary Club’s Ninth Annual “Strut Your Mutt” event in Bethesda. Taking place in the Woodmont Triangle area, the day became everyone’s dog day afternoon. More than 7,000 people and their pooches showed up from Potomac, Gaithersburg and as far away as Baltimore, to stroll the street and enjoy the colorful booths and enticing places to eat. DC Actors for Animals partnered with the Rotary Club to raise money for the Montgomery County Humane Society and the BCC Rotary Foundation, which supports charities such as A Wider Circle, Bethesda Cares, Polio Plus and the Basra Prosthetics for Life Project. During the day, DC Actors for Animals ran rescue events and many homeless pets found homes or the potential for one. Dogs dressed in outlandish outfits competed for best dressed, others tested their talents for best kisser or best singer. Taking a break from politics to judge the mighty mutts were Montgomery County Council Members Roger Berliner and Nancy Floreen, as well as Bethesda Battalion Fire Chief Jim Resnick, Trawick Foundation founder and President Carol Trawick, Cris Bombaugh, president of the Montgomery County Humane Society, and BCC Rotary President George Nash. Helen Hayes Award-winning entertainers The Hummingbyrds and Nick DePinto performed from the stage. “Every dog had his day, and it was a good one,” said Rotarian Lawrence Kotchek, chairperson of Strut Your Mutt.