POTSDAM -- St Lawrence County’s first ever dog park, The Potsdam Community Dog Park, will host its first annual Dog Show-Off on Saturday, June 9 from 10 a.m.-noon at its location behind the Potsdam Humane Society at 17 Madrid Ave.

DJ Double Dutch (aka Jody Tosti) from B99.3, and owner of Best Buddies Animal Care, will be MCing the event, and members of the community are invited to register their pups to win a prize.

Any purebred or mixed breed dog welcome.

Registration begins at 9 a.m., and entry fees of $5 for the first category and $4 for each additional category can be paid in cash or check.

Dogs must be 4 months or older, licensed and spayed, and leashed with a regular, non-retractable leash. No pre-registration is needed, and children 12 and up accompanied by an adult are welcome to attend.

“If you don’t have a dog entering the show, we could use your help,” said Deborah Massell, Dog Park Board President. “We need people to assist with a variety of tasks, and we hope it will be a fun time for all.”

The Potsdam Community Dog Park is a 501c3 non-profit, and has been a “pet” project started by Potsdam residents Deborah Massell and Jackson Francisco. It is supported by monetary and material donations and labor from multiple local business partners and organizations, as well as members of the public.

“While working at the dog park before we had it up and running, I was talking to Jackson and he was telling me how he wanted to have a dog show like this once the park was open. He has done so much to get it where it is that I wanted to see his idea through, and in his honor, I’m so glad he is one of our judges,” said Dog Park Committee Member Wendy Smith, the co-organizer of the event.

Jackson is an accidental dog owner/handler and led all the work crews in the creation of the Dog Park. Other judges will be Christine Lancaster, protocol and etiquette consultant to the human world (as of yet unsuccessful in the furry world), and Larry Loomis, owner of the grooming salon Dog’s Best Friend (but owned by a pack of 11 at home).

A rain date has been set for Sunday, June 10, same time and location.

The mission of the Potsdam Community Dog Park is "To offer a safe, off-leash, enriching environment for community dogs and their people, as well as education and resources to benefit shelter dogs and promote responsible dog ownership.”

Questions, comments, or volunteer inquiries can be sent to contact@potsdamdogpark.org.

For more news, pictures, videos and updates on what’s happening with the Potsdam Community Dog Park, visit the park’s Facebook page at www.facebook.com/communitydogpark/ or website at www.potsdamdogpark.org.