If you have four legs, a tail to shake and a clueless person to yank around on a leash, you must have been at Sleepy Hole Park last weekend for the Suffolk Humane Society’s inaugural Mutt Strut. If you weren’t there, you missed quite the canine show.

Hundreds of people and their pooches took advantage of last Sunday’s comfortable weather to attend the event that generated approximately $70,000 for the organization.

There were the cutesy, spoiled little dogs: Yorkies, terriers, poodles and the like, several of which wore frilly doggie skirts and pastel bows pinned in their hair. Some of the little guys didn’t even have to walk; they were carried around in wagons, purses and arms.

And of course, there were an abundance of the “real” dogs – labs, boxers, retrievers and whatnot. While they may not have the fluffy costumes of their tinier, yappier counterparts, I know for a fact that many of those big dogs are just as spoiled, loud and demanding as the others. (Well, at least that’s true of Lovett, my oversized, very laid-back Weimaraner.)

Last Sunday, armed with a camera, notebook and a leashed 140-pound dog, I went to the park. Certainly it would have been more efficient to leave the dog at home – a fact that I realized after I’d untangled my feet and camera strap from his leash for the 48th time – but it wouldn’t have been as fun.

No bone about it, the event was a success.

There were no dog – or cat – fights, although Lovett was a little scared of a couple of rather loud pugs. He even visited the chiropractor, who checked his “energy zones.” The dog was out of his energy zone within minutes after getting out of the car, though he’s always happy to relax and let someone rub his back.

If you’re a dog lover and didn’t make it to this year’s Mutt Strut, make sure to save the date on your calendar next year.