NATCHEZ &045; For Janis Holder, it all started when her son was helping cut grass next to the Natchez-Adams County Humane Society’s Liberty Road shelter.

It was there he saw the Great Dane the family would name Blue.

&uot;The next thing I knew, he called me on my cell phone and said, ‘We’ve got a dog,’&uot; Holder said, Blue staying obediently by her side.

Blue has since become a valued member of Holder’s household. And that’s the same type of story that could have been repeated dozens of times Saturday at the society’s annual fundraiser, Bark in the Park.

That event is held at the pavilion at the Grand Village of the Natchez Indians.

There, a crowd of owners and their dogs &045; the latter groomed and dressed to the hilt in bandanas and even costumes as fancy as a policeman’s uniform &045; competed for a variety of prizes.

Those titles and trophies, which are handed out each year, range from Most Handsome to Best Costume to Most Talented.

But while Bark in the Park is all about having fun and celebrating man’s best friend, it’s also much more &045; namely, the second-largest fundraiser the society holds each year.

That’s especially important for a shelter whose expenses can top $9,000 a month, according to society Treasurer Anne Vaughan.

&uot;Most of it goes to pay for veterinary expenses, food and utilities,&uot; Vaughan said. And that’s even taking into account the shelter is operated by volunteers, not paid employees.

&uot;It takes a lot to operate the shelter,&uot; said the society’s Pat Cox.

And now the society, whose shelter stays full of dogs, cats and other prospective pets, has just started its campaign to raise $250,000 to build a bigger shelter to replace the aging, smaller one.

That in itself, society volunteers have said, also makes it important to give generously to the cause.

But for Holder, the best reason to give can be summed up in one word: Blue.

&uot;He’s the gentlest dog I’ve ever owned,&uot; she said, rubbing Blue on the top of his head, to his tail-wagging delight.

&uot;Shelter dogs are the kindest and gentlest dogs you’ll own. They’re just happy to have a home.&uot;