Dog Days At The Mystic Aquarium

trainers, police officers and professional dog trainers are delivering special training demonstrations on Mondays at the Mystic Aquairum as part of Dog Days of Summer.

The demonstrations throughout the day exhibit the skills of the trainers and the trusting relationships they have with the animals.

Officer Dan Gagnon said his demonstrations highlight his partner’s, Ringo, unique skills.

"Most dogs have great noses but Ringo is unique in the fact that he not only possesses a nose for sniffing out illegal narcotics and tracking lost, missing or wanted persons, he also has the bravery, aptitude and intelligence to work as a police officer," he said.

As part of the aquarium program,  and the program also includes aquarium trainers who will present special training demonstrations with fish and invertebrates, Steller sea lions and African penguins. There are also four California sea lion shows throughout the day that showcase the animals’ five senses. Trainers from My Dog’s Place, a dog training facility in Mystic will present obedience and search and rescue demonstrations.

Mondays in August (20 and 27), 10:30 a.m. – 4:30 p.m.

• 10:30 a.m. California sea lion show
• 10:30 a.m. Fish and invertebrate training demonstration (Aug. 6 & 20 only)
• 11 a.m. – 2 p.m. Dog-shaped cookie decorating
• 11:30 a.m.  My Dog’s Place obedience demonstration         
• 12:30 p.m.   California sea lion show
• 12:45 p.m.   Ledyard Police Department K-9 Unit demonstration
• 1 p.m.          Fish and invertebrate training demonstration (Aug. 13 & 27 only)
• 1:30 p.m.      Steller sea lion training presentation
• 1:30 p.m.      Fish and invertebrate training demonstration (Aug. 6 & 20 only)
• 2 p.m.           California sea lion show
• 2 p.m.           Fish and invertebrate training demonstration (Aug. 13 & 27 only)
• 2:30 p.m.       African penguin training demonstration
• 4:30 p.m.       California sea lion show 

The demonstrations are included with aquarium admission. General admission prices are $29 for adults, $26 for 60+ seniors, $21 for children ages 3 to 17, and children ages 2 and under are free.

Guests are offered $4 off adult general admission and $3 off child general admission when they donate food or toys for cats and dogs to benefit Dog Days Adoption Events, Inc. in Essex, Conn., a nonprofit that helps communities plan adoption events for shelter dogs. Guests are encouraged to visit mysticaquarium.org to see a list of needed items.