‘Everybody was a winner’: A paw-sitive time at the Milbury Dog Show

Over 50 dogs ran, rolled and played with their new furry friends as they waited their turn to walk a circle in the Milbury and Company Real Estate’s first ever dog show, held during the Padanaram Summer Festival on Saturday, July 27.

“We thought 15 or 20 dogs,” said Will Milbury, owner of the company. “We were inundated with dogs at the last minute — people walking in my office wanting to join.”

Linda Hopps, a broker associate with Milbury, spoke on how “chaotic” the event became with the number of dogs and the show ended up running differently than planned.

“Fortunately, we had over ordered trophies and ribbons so everybody was a winner,” Milbury said. “I think the people had a great time.”

Milbury said he hopes to have it again next year, but for it to be more organized. 

Ann Taylor Adams, of Dartmouth, entered the show with her dog Ruth — named after Ruth Bader Ginsburg. She’s a 17-month-old rescue from Mississippi, who is part bloodhound and German shorthaired pointer.

“She’s just the best,” Adams said. “Because she’s part bloodhound, she has a pretty amazing nose and can smell rabbits from inside the house.”

Since rescuing her from Mississippi, Adams said she has a feeling Ruth “likes it up here in Dartmouth.”

“She’s just a really wonderful goofball,” she added. “We love her so much.”

In regard to the dog show, she said, “This is a very dog friendly, dog forward community and it’s a great reflection of that.”

Charlotte Rebello, 10, entered the show with her 8-year-old Samsky, Scout.

“She got blind when she was 3 years old,” Rebello said, adding how she’s thankful they did not have to remove Scout’s eyes due to infection.

She said she likes how although her dog is blind, she still knows her way around. Prior to the show, Rebello was working on some tricks with Scout, such as to sit, give paw and stay.

“I think they should do this more often because it’s really fun,” Rebello said. “I think it’s good for the dogs to just get out even though it’s very hot. It’s really fun for the dogs to just show off their talent.”

Melissa Makuch, of Dartmouth, brought her French Bulldog puppy, Lucas, to the show.

A 14-pound lilac and tan from New Hampshire, Makuch said, “He’s just really great with people, so he loves coming out, seeing the crowd and meeting everyone he can — dogs and people alike.”

Molly Kivi, of New Bedford, joined the show with her 8-month-old Basenji, Reggie.

“His favorite toy is his lucky duck because it crinkles,” Kivi said. “He loves to shred stuff and so to ensure he doesn’t shred my couch, I got him lots of plushies.”

She said her favorite part of the show was being able to spend time with neighbors getting to know them and talking about the dogs.

Lorrie Murphy and her fox red lab puppy, Annie, were also at the show Saturday. 

Murphy said Annie is “awesome,” a “cuddler,” but also “sheds a lot.”

“She loves to play,” she said, adding how she is always wrestling with her black lab older sister at home.

She highlighted how she was able to meet an older fox red lab, which she hadn’t seen before getting her puppy.

“I loved seeing all the dogs and she likes socializing,” Murphy said. “That was wicked fun.”

[Editor’s Note: Photo captions will be updated in time.]