Golden Jubilee brings dogs, owners to area beaches Sept. 26-28

Golden retrievers and their owners will return to Rehoboth Beach and Dewey Beach from Friday to Sunday,  Sept. 26 to 28, to celebrate another Golden Jubilee.

This is the event's 12th year of participants gathering to raise money and awareness for the Morris Animal Foundation’s Golden Retriever Lifetime Study as well as celebrating their love of the breed.

The festivities kick off at 5:30 p.m., Sept. 26, with the Gold Rush Parade that begins at Lake Gerar Park in Rehoboth Beach, winds through downtown and ends up on Rehoboth Avenue for an ice cream social along with checking out the charming shops, galleries and eateries.

A beach romp will begin at 10 a.m., Saturday, Sept. 27, on the oceanfront at Van Dyke Avenue in Dewey Beach. Fundraiser T-shirts will be available for pickup and purchase, along with homemade dog treats, peanut brittle and bandanas. To sign up for mini photo sessions, golden owners can find Dewey's Golden Jubilee on Facebook.

There will be a Yappy Hour at Mama Maria's in Dewey from 4 to 7 p.m., Saturday, followed at 7 p.m. by a Memorial Bonfire on the ocean beach at Van Dyke Avenue where members can honor their pups who have gone to the Rainbow Bridge. All events are free, and all friendly pups and their families are welcome.

A new event this year is a farewell Ice Cream/Pup Cup Fundraiser from 11 a.m. to 2:30 p.m., Sept. 28, at Hopkins Creamery near Lewes featuring ice cream with golden glitter as well as barbecue from Smokin' D'z Food Truck.

Although the Golden Jubilee includes glorious reunions and fun-filled events, the purpose is to raise funds for the Morris Animal Foundation's Golden Retriever Lifetime Study. This is one of the largest, most comprehensive prospective canine health studies in the United States, and its purpose is to identify the nutritional, environmental, lifestyle and genetic risk factors for cancer and other diseases in dogs. Each year, with the help of veterinarians and dog owners, the foundation collects health, environmental and behavioral data on the 3,000+ enrolled golden retrievers. For more information, go to morrisanimalfoundation.org/golden-retriever-lifetime-study.