SAUGUS — With Halloween right around the corner, Breakheart, in conjunction with Friends of Breakheart Reservation, hosted their 2nd annual pet parade.
The event’s sponsors included Friends of Breakheart Reservation, the Department of Conservation and Recreation Massachusetts, and Peter A. Rossetti Insurance Agency Inc.
The dogs were let loose, walking around in their Sunday Best to try to win the top prize. The costumes ranged from dragons to bumblebees to spooky spiders. To enter, owners had to fill out forms for their dogs and give a $10 donation.
According to Peter Rossetti Jr., chairman of Friends of Breakheart Reservation, the donations will help the group fund more projects and community events around the park.
“What we do is we sponsor activities in the park. Right now, we’re trying to build an education center, which will be a new building. We’re also working on different activities for the future,” Rossetti Jr. said.
Rossetti said the following events will be the Turkey Trot and Santa in December. They’re also looking forward to maple sugaring season in March.
“We’re trying to get more people to come to Breakheart and see what a great place it is. It’s about 600 acres with two different lakes…any given day, there are people walking and hiking and enjoying themselves,” he said.
The reservation was established in 1934, and hundreds of visitors hike the trails weekly.
The parade went from the park’s gazebo in front of the Visitor Center and around the parking lot past the playground. It ended back at the Visitor Center grass, where the judges decided who the winner and runner-up would be.
First place went to Larry the mini doodle dressed as Bob Ross, and the runner-up was Cooper the dachshund dressed as spaghetti and meatballs. Finally, the best-behaved award winner went to a bumblebee French Bulldog.
