Lynbrook Locals Host Ulti-mutt Halloween Dog Parade

Northeast Lynbrook is going to the dogs!

Well, for an hour or so this past rainy Sunday afternoon at least, as the corner of Driving Park Avenue and Edmund Street, not far from Maier’s Brick Cafe on Lakeview Avenue, served as “ground zero” for the beginning of the Third Annual “Halloween Doggie Trot,” where close to forty collies, greyhounds, golden retrievers, beagles and dachshunds (and their amused and bemused owners!)—in Halloween paraphernalia—met and paraded across the quadrant, enjoying lots of barks, laughs, good natured sniffing, and warm Halloween spirits!

Organized by locals James and Dieter—and even bigger and more festive than last year’s event!—the Trot was a tremendous success as the group of nearly sixty owners sashayed with their dogs west on Driving Park, south on Chestnut, east on Oak and back north on Edmund. The dogs’ keepers, who hailed from Lynbrook, Malverne and even Rockville Centre, got to know each other, petted and played with the affectionate little fellas, and laughed at the assorted dog Halloween costumes of dragons, skeletons and genies.

One beautiful greyhound, Ruth, had a small jockey in the saddle atop her back and riding her to victory! A pair of animated miniature Italian greyhounds came to the party, one with butterfly wings adorning his back, the other in a hot dog and mustard costume. A German Shepherd was accoutered in prison stripes, with a placard around his neck revealing his crime: “Doesn’t Listen.” One little guy wore a Mexican serape blanket and sported a jaunty sombrero atop his head; another had a similar serape while his young handlers sported full Mexican Day of the Dead made-up faces. A number of other owner and dog pairs adorned themselves in matching costumes, e.g. Harry Potter and his sidekick dog Ron Weasley. A family of four were arrayed in Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle green while their little fella was bedecked in a full TMNT costume. The hosts, James and Dieter, had their adorable pup Winston in an “Elmo” costume, while they wore matching sweatshirts. A cowboy and cowgirl brought their little guy, accoutered with a bandana and a small cowboy rider atop a saddle on his back.

Mindful of the rain, the hosts had set up two large canopy tents in the driveway, providing shelter and filled with Stew Leonard’s snacks and goodies, and coffee and hot cider. A “photo booth” with a spooky Halloween backdrop was utilized by all, as each dog / owner pair posed for the paparazzi.

Folks along the route came out of their houses and joined in the merriment, snapping photos and chuckling at the menagerie of costumed canines, with names such as Amaretto, Goose and Snoopy. An entire children’s Halloween party taking place on Oak Street came curbside and waved and cheered as the paraders promenaded by. Car drivers passing through patiently laid off their horns and navigated the cluster of pooches gracefully, waving and smiling at costumed dog and human alike as they drove slowly by, and taking in the scope of the four- and two-legged spectacle!

One generous woman had prepared, literally, “doggie bags” for the fellas, with an assortment of Milk-Bones and handy “poop bags” tied up in paw print-embossed sacks for the cavorting canines, which she distributed to the grateful assemblage of hungry fellas and charmed owners. Meanwhile, word spread eagerly through the crowd of a possible Thanksgiving sequel!

As James, the event’s organizer and promotional cheerleader, noted afterward, “We had the most extraordinary time! It was so much more festive and wonderful than we had anticipated. Just to get the neighborhood and the dogs together. It totally blew away our expectations!”

Everyone there—human and canine—enjoyed the afternoon, the camaraderie and the chance to get to know their neighbors just a little bit better . . . and all brought together by the universal love for man’s best friend!

--Brian Howell