Rudy Crowned Dyngus Dog 2014!

Rudy: Dyngus Dog 2014

Secondhand Mutts invited dog lovers to celebrate Dyngus Day with their dogs by coming together on Monday afternoon for the first ever crowning of the official Dyngus Dog 2014.

Tremonsters showed their Dyngus spirit by dressing up their dogs to be a part of the excitement, as summer came to Cleveland for a day just in time to stuff Dyngus Day bars with attendees all too ready for an excuse to shake off the long winter, get out, and be social.

Harriet & Rudy

“It makes me feel so proud,” said Harriet, who entered her show-stopping dog, Rudy, and won the 2014 Dyngus Dog crown.  “I’m so proud of Rudy doing such a nice job.”

This was the first ever crowning of a Dyngus Dog during Cleveland’s wildly popular Dyngus Day celebration, which focuses its celebrations in the Detroit Shoreway, Ohio City, and Tremont neighborhoods.  The Dyngus Dog contestants marched behind the Dyngus Day Parade following the hotly-contested crowning.

Since 2010, Dyngus Day, or Wet Monday (Polish Śmigus-Dingus or lany poniedziałek) has been celebrated in Cleveland on Easter Monday. Historically a Polish tradition, Dyngus Day celebrates the end of the observance of Lent and the joy of Easter.

Over the decades, Dyngus Day has become a wonderful holiday to celebrate Polish-American culture, heritage, and traditions across the globe.  In Cleveland specifically, the celebration takes the form of a Polish cultural festival, a celebration of Polka Heritage, as well as a celebration of all the other Eastern European cultures thriving in Cleveland.

For more information about Dyngus Day Cleveland, visit clevelanddyngus.com or email info@clevelanddyngus.com.  For more information on the Dyngus Dog crowing and parade or SecondHand Mutts and their cage-free & friendly dog adoption center, visit secondhandmutts.org, or call 216.664.9660.

Rudy shows off his first-place ribbon, just after being crowned Dyngus Dog 2014.