Seabrook Seniors Collect Items for Monmouth County SPCA During Strut Your Mutt Event

More than 20 different shapes and sizes of bark and breed converged upon the Seabrook Village auditorium for the annual Strut Your Mutt event. 

The event is a happening that has been taking place for 11 years and like always, it delivered the best in show.

Crowds cheered as all sorts of canines were paraded down the aisle and onto the stage, where the owners told the audience a little something about their pooch and let them steal the limelight.  And of course some did a few tricks.

In addition to giving owners a chance to tell all about the relationship with their furry friend, the show gave pets, owners and attendees a unique way to socialize – this is one of Seabrook’s many popular events of the year.

This year, the event featured a special dog and cat food, toy and treat drive for the Monmouth County SPCA and the Associated Humane Society. A few hundred items were collected for the animal shelter. 

In addition, there was a K-9 from the Tinton Falls Police Department who illustrated the importance of police collaboration for the crowd. And Jin-Jin from the Caregivers Volunteers of Central New Jersey arrived, tutu and tiara and all to pose on stage.

“We offer residents many fun activities to take part in to keep active at Seabrook, from dance and bocce to our current events class to Tai Chi,” Seabrook Executive Director Art Sparks said.  “Since we also have dog owners we thought it would be a great idea to include pooches and create a fun activity that they can share in.”

Seabrook Director of Resident Life Gary Engelstad said, “We decided to collect food, toys and treats for the dogs and cats at the shelter and give it to the SPCA and Humane Society as a way to give to two very important organizations that care for animals in need.  We are more than pleased to know that the items will serve to provide comfort for the animals that are being cared for by a group of dedicated and caring animal lovers.”

Seabrook residents also hold blanket and linen drives for animals at the shelter a couple of times throughout the year.  The Strut your Mutt event was sponsored by the Seabrook Pet Club in association with the community’s resident life department.