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The dog days of summer were in full force for Dogs Day at the Neuse, a combined celebration of National Dog Day and the Neuse River at Cliffs of the Neuse State Park.

On Aug. 26, 15 hikers and 10 of their canine friends took to the trails of the state park, courtesy of organizers from Wayne County Public Library. Along for the walk was Sound Rivers Volunteer Coordinator Emily Fritz, who was invited to talk to participants about the river.

“We were able to walk along the trails and see the beautiful state park and talk about all the aspects of the river and its importance. One of the trails by the river floods and that gave me the opportunity to talk about wetlands and how important they are to help prevent flooding. That also gave me the opportunity to talk about the decisions being made right now that are affecting them,” Emily said, referring to a recent U.S. Supreme Court case that stripped protections from many wetlands and a North Carolina General Assembly bill that reduces protections to only those offered by the federal government.

Members of the Trail Hounds — a group that meets up for hikes with their dogs — were excited to learn about Sound Rivers’ work to protect the Neuse and Tar-Pamlico waterways, Emily said. A corgi, a big, fluffy dog named Charlie, leader of the pack Daisy Mae, puppy Luna and their canine cohorts did not seem to be impressed.

For Emily, Dogs Day at the Neuse was her first visit to the state park located on the Neuse River in Silver Springs.

“It was gorgeous there and a really good way to see the river from above — the magnitude of it and how it’s carved out that cliff over eons,” Emily said.