Local dog owners and their furry friends gathered en masse in downtown Boothbay Harbor this past Saturday to attend the second annual Mutt Scrub hosted by Two Salty Dogs.

From 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. on July 26, a host of volunteers provided dog washing, nail trimming, a “cool stuff” raffle, face painting, food, music, two Doggie Musical Chairs competitions and a Canine Talent Show to benefit the Lincoln County Animal Shelter.

“The main goal is to raise as much money for the shelter as possible,” said Liana Kingsbury, who owns Two Salty Dogs with husband Don.

This year, the Mutt Scrub raised more than $1,500 for the shelter.

The event began last year, and it was such a success, Liana Kingsbury said, that she and her husband will begin hosting the event every year.

“This is the second year (for the Mutt Scrub),” she said. “We will start doing it the last Saturday in July.”

The pair said the event would not have been possible without the help of their volunteers. Specifically, they named Jeff Morris, who acted as the emcee, Sara Boston, who represented the Lincoln County Animal Shelter and provided nail trimming, and the volunteers who gave dogs their baths and those who helped set up and tear down the event tents.

“We had a lot of people help with the raffle, set up, and come back to tear down,” Liana Kingsbury said.

She said Two Salty Dogs raised over $1,000 dollars last year and that the entire event is donation driven. The bulk of funding last year came from the raffle, and she said local businesses stepped up big this year to provide gift baskets, towels, food and gift certificates as part of this year's raffle.

Crust, a local pizza shop, baked pizzas on site and donated 10 percent of its profits to the event. The Boathouse Bistro, Robinson's Wharf, McSeagull's, The Lobster Dock, A Silver Lining, Sweet Bay, Ports of Italy, KIP Photography, The SOP Shop, UnTangled, The Pantry, Doogie Safe n Dry, Abacus and Eventide donated products for the raffle. Uncommon Paws and the Boothbay Railway Village provided gifts for the talent show winners.

In addition, an anonymous individual donated an inflatable dog boat ramp that was sold through a silent auction.

Winners of the Canine Talent Show included Teddy, a poodle, in first place; The General, a toy poodle, in second place; and Tuc, a Cavalier King Charles spaniel, in third.

The winner of the first Doggie Musical Chairs competition was Tuc, the Cavalier King Charles spaniel. The second competition went to Becky, a Labrador mix, who successfully defended her title from last year.

Don Kingsbury said the event showed an even greater turnout than it did last year. In part, he said he thought it was due to the greater amount of advertising Two Salty Dogs conducted before the Mutt Scrub took place.

“We learned a lot last year,” he said, about planning and advertising the event. “There is so much that goes into it.”

The increase in donations the Mutt Scrub raised compared to last year, an increase of 50 percent, shows the generous support residents are willing to provide and the Two Salty Dogs' ability to bring people and dogs together to support a worthy cause.