Kids bag eggs on hunts

Hundreds of children weren’t very quiet as they hunted for Easter eggs Saturday, April 11 — though some had better noses than others.

That’s because at the Animal Friends Humane Society outside of Trenton, some of the hunters were dogs. The shelter held its annual event where its animals helped local children sniff out eggs.

When children arrived at the hunt, the shelter gave them dogs to find the 2,500 eggs hidden on the nature trail behind the shelter. Dog treats were hidden in some of the eggs, which could be turned in for prizes.

One of the hunters was 7-year-old Harley Marshall of Trenton, who used a dog “Lady” to find the treats. Her grandmother, Dot Marshall, said, “School’s out and this is good for the kids. Since she was 3, she wanted to be a vet.”

The shelter’s director, Meg Stephenson, who was at her first egg hunt there, estimated at least 100 kids turned out for the event.

A few miles away in Middletown, another crowd gathered at the annual Derrico-Jackson egg hunt at Douglass Park.

“Kids were flying, shoes were flying and there were kids hitting the ground,” said Rob Morrissey of Carlisle, who was there with several children.

Some kids came back with more eggs than others, but organizers handed out eggs to children who came up short.

“They got candy and that makes them happy. It doesn’t take much to make little kids happy,” said Marilyn Rednour of Middletown.

Abbey Myers, 5, of Middletown, happily showed off a partly chewed piece of gum, saying, “I got candy.”

Back at the animal shelter, Harley Marshall even found a practical use for her Easter bag, even if it wasn’t quite as savory as candy.

“She uses it to clean up after her dog,” her grandmother said.

Contact this reporter at (513) 705-2836 or erobinette@coxohio.com.