Community Corner

Therapy Dogs Give Residents A Way to Unwind on Saturday

On Dec. 14, Newtown Veterinary Services opened its doors to the community for a special event with some of the many therapy dogs who have appeared in Newtown over the past year.

Spartacus Crooch and five other dogs — two St. Bernards, two Burmese Mountain Dogs and a hound dog mix were on hand for Newtown residents to pet or play with. On Monday, NVS shared the photos from the media-free event with Patch.

"As you know, Newtown was very quiet, but the people who came out were so happy to see the dogs," said Brad Cole, a Southbury resident and owner of Spartacus. "It was a nice place for them to unwind and decompress from the mood of the day. It was nice, low-key, no pressure, with no one around to look at the people talking to the dogs."

Several groups who have previously provided therapy dogs for Newtown sent dogs to the event. Cole said about 15 people showed up Saturday, spending about 20 minutes each with the dogs.


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