Ramsey has officially gone to the dogs.

Nearly 200 dogs and their human companions attended Pups in the Park Friday on the front lawn of Ramsey.

Cleo the Beagle high-fives Carley Reed, a religion major from Savannah, at Pups in the Park on the front lawn of Ramsey on Friday. The event raised about $800 for the Athens Area Humane Society and UGA HEROs. Photo by Michael Barone

The event, put on in a joint effort by an event-planning class in the Department of Recreation and Leisure Studies and UGA HEROs, raised about $800 for the Athens Area Humane Society and HEROs.

“We were amazed by the amount of people who showed up, especially considering the weather,” said Dana Cox, a sophomore from Douglasville, the special events coordinator for HEROs and a member of the eight-person class that put on the event.

The carnival-esque event featured activities catered to the canine attendees. Dog-human teams competed for prizes, including handcrafted collars and obedience lessons.

All dogs were given a free bag of treats, a bandanna and an opportunity to have a picture taken with Hairy Dawg.

“It was a lot of fun,” said Louisiana Ricome, a senior from Athens.

Ricome and her dog, Max, won second runner-up in the musical chair competition.

Volunteers for the Humane Society distributed flyers emphasizing spaying and neutering pets as well as advocating adopting rather then buying from a breeder.

“Having this event annually is something that we will definitely consider doing,” Cox said.

By Kristen Nipper

for the Red & Black