It was clear that Ozzie was a bit nervous.
While seconds before the 3-year-old Bernese Mountain Dog had been wagging his tail with gusto as he greeted a host of new friends with curious sniffs, what now sat before him caused caution.
His ears lowered and his tail dipped as he slowly approached, turning his head away at the last second as if to pretend it wasn’t there.
The source of his trepidation? The Easter Bunny.
Or, more accurately, someone in an oversized dog costume topped with bunny ears sitting on a chair on the pack porch of Godfrey’s Welcome to Dogdom pet store in Brecknock Township.
“He didn’t do well with Santa, either,” his owner, Lindsay Garner, of Ephrata, said, shaking her head as she attempted to pose Ozzie for a photo with the Easter celebrity.
Ozzie was one of about 30 pups that stopped by Godfrey’s on Saturday to both meet the Easter Bunny and take part in the store’s 22nd annual Easter egg and bone hunt for canines.
An Easter egg hunt for dogs well held at Godfrey’s Welcome to Dogdom on Saturday. (DAVID MEKEEL – READING EAGLE)
“I like to see everybody have fun with their dogs because dogs are family,” Godfrey’s owner, Barb Emmett said. “This celebrates what dogs bring to our lives. This is just a happy place to celebrate and find some joy.”
Garner has been coming to the annual event since nearly the beginning; bringing her Yorkie before she had Ozzie. She said she loves that Godfrey’s is locally owned and provides special experiences for customers.
“It’s just a good way to get the community together and a chance to socialize the dogs,” she said of the Easter event.
Kira Knerr is also a familiar face at event held at Godfrey’s. She owns four dogs and dog-sits several others.
Mini, a three-year-old Havanese, poses with the Easter Bunny at Godfrey’s Welcome to Dogdom on Saturday. (DAVID MEKEEL – READING EAGLE)
She brought some of her own and one that she watches to enjoy some Easter fun on Saturday.
“It just gives everyone a chance to participate in an Easter egg hunt, even dogs,” the Pottstown woman said. “And they get to meet other dogs; the dogs always have fun.”
Knerr said she’s always impressed about how well the pooches do at the hunt.
“They know what to do,” she said. “You wouldn’t think they would, but they know to find the eggs.”
Ziya (left) and Rosie greet the Easter Bunny at an event at Godfrey’s Welcome to Dogdom on Saturday. (DAVID MEKEEL – READING EAGLE)
Eleven-year-old Poppy isn’t sure if she’s interested in hunting for eggs during a special Easter egg hunt for dogs held at Godfrey’s Welcome to Dogdom on Saturday. (DAVID MEKEEL – READING EAGLE)