THEY turned up in all shapes and sizes, from white to black, shaggy to sleek, quiet to boisterous. Some were recognisable breeds whilst others were of indeterminate lineage but all were adorable nonetheless.

We are talking about the 60-odd dogs who attended the Dog Day Morning event with their "families" last Saturday at the Picture This & That garden in Jalan Ampang, Kuala Lumpur.

The event was organised by a group of animal lovers who wanted to create a feel-good day for dogs and dog lovers in an open, friendly atmosphere where the doggies could mill about and make friends with other pooches, while at the same time raise some money to support SPCA and PAWS.

The idea took seed many Easters ago when Vanaja Dhanan discussed an Easter morning event for dogs in the spacious garden with Belinda Siew and Gillian Tan of Picture This & That (PT&T).

Siew and Tan have three dogs and one cat and were all for the idea of children and doggies tramping all over the garden intent on a Easter egg hunt, picnic-style food and drinks, clowns, and Vanaja's storytelling.

However, nothing materialised till last month when all realised that it was a now-or-never scenario as PT&T had received notice to move as its landlord was taking back the property. They roped me in as co-organiser and we had all of four weeks to put the show on the road so to speak.

And what a doggone lovely time was enjoyed by all who attended. As promised, there was lots of music and laughter, food and drinks, games galore, and even a dog agility playground set up by the folks of Pet-n-You which all the dogs had a go at with varying degrees of enthusiasm.

There were also stalls selling crafts, homemade doggie treats by Rascals Marketing, art prints and the children had face painting, body tattoos and sand art to keep them occupied. Nutrigen provided nourishment for the thirsty and kindly donated the entire day's sales to the shelters.

As the event aimed to raise funds for SPCA and PAWS, the shelters' folks also turned up in full force. Chris Ng, well-known TV and theatre personality and a committee member of PAWS, brought his two dogs. And Stacia Leong, PR officer at SPCA, together with a group of very gung-ho volunteers made it a day to remember.

Siew welcomed everyone to the gathering, saying that Dog Day Morning, with its joyous attitude, was an apt send-off for this beautiful haven in the middle of bustling Jalan Ampang.

One of the highlights of the morning was a storytelling session by Vanaja, who is also author of BenO Comes Home, a delightful true-life doggy story book for children. And after the storytelling, children designed their own BenO Comes Home tees with some fun stamps. And of course the star of the day, BenO, made his appearance. It was his very first outing ever and, boy, was he excited!

Dr Jon Satyamoorthy (protem president) and Anthony Thanasayan (protem vice-president) of the Malaysian Association of Responsible Pet Ownership (MARPO) spoke on the importance of informed and responsible dog owners and how pets can be a rewarding part of one's life and community.

They also touched on the recent media reports of negative sentiments towards canines. The general feeling was that responsible pet owners and an educated public will ensure a more compassionate approach towards dogs. Animal lovers also believe that legislation and regulation should also be handled by professionals who are familiar with dogs and canine behaviour and not by bureaucrats who do not have first-hand experience with canines.

Christine Chin, chairperson of the SPCA, noting the amount of fun dogs and their families was having, was overwhelmed by the morning's programme, remarking that "we should do this again and more often".

Vanaja echoed that sentiment. "I wish we had used No. 183 (home of PT&T) much earlier. Now that we've had a taste of one Dog Day Morning we are rearing to do more. It was a fun outdoor event.

"Pet owners were so happy to have the opportunity to be out, unrestricted, with their pets and families. It was lovely to see kids and their pets running around a garden in the heart of the city, without a worry. We were so close to the city we all know and yet so far away, as if we were in a pet haven. Pet lovers out there if you have ample grounds and want to help the animal shelters, please let us know!"

As for me, it was sad to say goodbye to the lovely tree-shaded grounds of PT&T, but I couldn't think of a better way to say farewell, surrounded by all the beautiful energy generated by adoring dogs and the people who love them and appreciate them for the blessings they truly are.