Riley Junebug Princess celebrated with parade, cupcakes and community spirit
COURT HOUSE – When Riley Junebug Princess celebrated her sweet 16 birthday, Aug. 11, she wasn’t dancing to the song, “Sixteen Candles.” Instead, she was pulled in a wagon on her princess bed to the tunes of the Baha Men singing, “Who Let the Dogs Out.”
That’s because Riley is a puggle belonging to Peggy Gretz, of Court House, and in human years Riley is the equivalent of 117 years old.
“I know it’s getting toward the end of summer and a lot of kids are getting bored, so I thought we could have a dog parade with the neighbors and celebrate Riley’s birthday,” said Gretz. “Then we’ll come back and have some cupcakes for the kids and homemade dog treats for the dogs.”
Over a dozen neighbors of all ages and their dogs came for the parade, which was led by a Middle Township police officer and his car’s flashing lights. While Gretz wasn’t surprised by the number of people and their dogs who came for the celebration — she said “it just grew as people heard about it” — her fiancé, Richard Ceglarski, was “wowed.”
“This is amazing,” he said, “all these people here to celebrate Riley’s birthday.”
Riley’s full name comes from the fact that she was born in June, and has big brown eyes like a bug, according to Gretz. She got Riley from a store in Millville 16 years ago in August, which is the day Gretz celebrates.
A puggle is a mix of a pug and a beagle. “She got her ears from her mom, who was a beagle,” Gretz noted, “and the tail is a pug’s tail.”
Riley weighs 25 pounds, and Gretz said she is partly deaf and blind.
Gretz also owns two golden retrievers.
Gretz, who retired as a special education teacher from the Cape May County Special Services School, also decided to use the party as an opportunity to talk with the neighborhood children about the importance of pets, how they help humans and how they become part of a family.
“Riley was a therapy dog for two years before Covid,” Gretz said, “in one of the area’s nursing homes. The residents really loved it when she visited because they could pet her, feel good and often remember the times with their own pets.”
She also pointed out that dogs often can do things humans can’t, such as sniffing for drugs or cadavers, and searching for lost persons.
“I ran a doggy day care for seven years, so I’m used to training puppies,” Gretz said, “and the craziness that comes with training. But I love dogs and thought this would be a fun event for the neighborhood.”
One neighbor who attended, Patti Boyle, described the neighborhood as a “big dog community. It’s nice to celebrate Riley’s birthday, especially with all the things going on in the world. This is a nice, fun event.”
Contact the reporter, Karen Knight, at kknight@cmcherald.com.
