Three Sheets Goes To The Dogs

Three Sheets New Haven is well known for its dog-friendly patio, and some of the dogs that frequent there have become as familiar to its patrons as some of the human regulars. 

For the third time since the bar/restaurant’s inception, a calendar featuring 13 of those patio pups was created to help raise money for Friends of the New Haven Animal Shelter. On Sunday night, Three Sheets threw a Pup-O-Ween-themed release party to celebrate the 2023 edition of that calendar, complete with the first look at this year’s edition, raffles, and, in keeping with the holiday, costumed pooches. 

Sara Scranton (a.k.a. Lipgloss Crisis) — Three Sheets events coordinator and a visual artist — took all of the photos for the calendar and worked together with the dog owners to plan and choose a theme for their shoot. 

“We love dogs here at Three Sheets,” said Scranton. ​“We’re all animal owners. We all have rescue dogs.”

This year’s themes ran the gamut from a bunny-eared dog named Stella in April to bat-winged Oliver in October. A few of the models, including Oliver (with his owner Mora Seiden), were on hand to show off their costumes and get a few skirtches from Scranton and all the other dog lovers as well. 

“He was wonderful,” said Seiden about Oliver’s photo shoot. A three-year-old lab mix, Oliver let Scranton ​“take a million photos. He’s my smiley boy,” she said.

February’s model, another three-year-old named Pib, was there with her owners Michelle and Sean Saxton, who said she was ​“great … she was a ham” during her photo shoot. 

The Saxtons were also there vending Pib’s Nibs — an ​“all-natural small-batch vegan locally made dog treat” — a new business venture of theirs that was inspired by their beloved pup. 

“The treats we bought for her, they had stuff in them you aren’t supposed to give dogs,” said Sean. ​“I read the ingredients and said, ​‘oh my God, I’m not giving my dog this,’” added Michelle. They decided to try to make their own recipe. 

Pib loved their creation, and so did many other dogs who were fussy about treats. Thus a new product was born. The patio pups definitely enjoyed free samples throughout the event as they hung out with their owners and posed for photos. 

One of those dogs, who posed for an array of photos in his rainbow calendar costume, was the model for June/Pride Month — a two-and-a-half-year-old beagle named Rodger who belongs to Claire Thompson and Luke Pfaff of New Haven. 

“We’re here all the time,” said Thompson. ​“And Lu [Scranton’s dog] is his best friend.” She said his photo shoot for the calendar was a rousing success. ​“He’s the best. You tell him to do anything and he does it.”

Kodie, November’s star, sat with his ​“pet moms” Allie Wall and Mel Walsh on the patio as well, basking in the glow of his newfound stardom. 

“She was good,” said Wall of the photo shoot. ​“We had to entice her with treats but she’s a natural model.” 

Walsh chose the costume for Kodie. ​“I thought it would pop against her fur,” she said. The dragon outfit/photo shoot was inspired by the HBO shows Game of Thrones and House of The Dragon. ​“We’re big fans,” said Wall.

Hendrix, a one-year-old pit bull who opens the calendar as January’s model, hung out off to the side of the patio with his owner, Gage Frank of New Haven, and brought smiles to everyone who walked by. According to Frank, Hendrix wore a glitter bow tie ​“for the New Year” for his photo shoot, and they were happy to be a part of it.

“Sara is a good friend,” he added. ​“We come here often.”

Jen O’Brien and Brian Bellito of Hamden — also good friends of Scranton’s as well as owners of Penny, February’s model — were in charge of selling the calendars during the event and running the raffle table. The calendars, sponsored by Monarch Law Firm, were being sold for $20 each, with all proceeds going to Friends of the New Haven Animal Shelter. Raffle items were all donations that included pieces of Scranton’s visual art, a Santa-themed pet photo shoot with Scranton, a gift cards and swag from Strange Ways, and dog treats, with proceeds also going to the Friends of the New Haven Animal Shelter.

O’Brien and Bellito have been working to help a variety of animal shelters and rescues through events like this one under the title Huey’s Power of Love, named after their own rescue dog Huey, who they lost one year ago. 

“We didn’t know what to do with ourselves,” said O’Brien. They eventually decided they would help promote not only the shelters and rescues and their events, but the animals themselves, ​“in honor of our boy.”

O’Brien has been friends with Scranton for over 20 years — ​“we went to college together” — and it was Scranton’s idea for one-year-old mixed breed Penny to be this calendar’s Cupid. ​“She had a small set of wings that fit her, and she was very good, a natural model.”

“I brought string cheese to help,” she added with a laugh.

The three-hour event saw a steady stream of customers, some with dogs, some with a love of dogs, and all with a generous spirit that raised over $800 for the cause. Scranton was more than pleased by the afternoon’s success.

When asked why she did the calendar, Scranton said it was motivated by Sheets’s collective love for animals and wanting to help the shelter. But she also had another reason: ​“So I can hang out with people’s dogs,” she added with a wink and a smile. 

Calendars are available for purchase at Three Sheets.