Jazzy is still waiting, waiting to fulfill the promise of the old adage that every dog has its day.

Rain, quite literally, spoiled what would have been the mixed-breed Lhasa apso’s day in the sun. Jazzy, according to Ellen Pfarr of Ivoryton, was all set to be a part of the Fourth of July parade, but rain canceled the event.

Ellen describes Jazzy as her granddog; she belongs to Ellen’s daughter Lauren and her husband, who live in Manchester, but the event that made Jazzy a local celebrity started when the dog was visiting Ellen in Ivoryton in January.

She took Jazzy and her own dog, Maggie, out for a walk. Maggie is a golden retriever. Ellen found the dog with the help of a rescue group in Turkey and paid to have the golden retriever flown to the United States. Maggie has what Ellen describes as intermittent “issues.”

Maggie had one of those issues on that walk Ellen took with the two dogs. The golden retriever, at one point, reared up excitedly on her hind legs.

“She does that occasionally,” Ellen says. In the confusion, Ellen dropped both dogs’ leashes. She retrieved Maggie’s, but Jazzy took off.

That was the beginning of a three-and-a-half-day adventure for both Ellen and the dog. “Jazzy took off right away, and she didn’t know anything about this area,” Ellen says.

To find the pet, Ellen sought help from CT Dog Gone Recovery, an organization that assists in finding lost dogs with everything from designing flyers and helping publicize the problem on social media, to creating tracking maps of where the animal had been spotted.

The group even suggested that Ellen leave a crockpot turned on with hot dogs in it on her porch.

They said the smell might attract Jazzy.

Of course, as Ellen pointed out, it could also attract a number of other animals. As things turned out, it attracted none, including Jazzy.

Ellen was overwhelmed by the number of telephone calls she received; her number was on the flyers. Some were calls of concern; some relayed information about Jazzy sightings. There were over 600 social media posts on the lost dog.

“It was a remarkable showing of concern. I love Essex; I love Ivoryton,” Ellen says.

On the fourth day, one of the telephone calls had the good news: Richard Gilbert in Ivoryton had Jazzy — still with her leash on.

In recognition of all the publicity Jazzy got, Essex resident state trooper Mark Roberts suggested Jazzy be a part of the Fourth of July parade. Dogs in the parade must be leashed, and owners must clean up after them. Maggie, who triggered the escape, was not invited.

Beyond the lost dog adventure, Ellen has a particular local distinction: She was the first woman to join the Ancient Order of Essex Weeders before her, an all-male group. Ellen’s former husband, once a member of the group, suggested she join because she likes to garden.

In fact, there are no restrictions on membership, though Ellen adds that “it helps to have good knees and to love the outdoors.”

The Weeders do more than their name suggests; they not only weed but also landscape the traffic islands on Route 154 at exit 3 off Route 9.

“Also, give a shout-out to the Essex Garden Club that helped us purchase some plants this year and gave us good landscaping advice,” Ellen says.

The Weeders work early in the morning to avoid the heat. According to Ellen, sometimes cars slow down, and an occupant will roll down the window and shout a thank you.

The group wears bright yellow T-shirts when working, but Ellen’s shirt is special. She had a relative who designs shirts create one for her not only with the Weeders’ logo but also with a woman’s face on it.

Professionally, Ellen, now retired, was a licensed clinical social worker often dealing with young people.

Growing up in New Jersey, the eldest of six children, she had planned to be a nurse. She started with night school, but when she moved to Connecticut, she transitioned to social work and finished her degree by attending weekend college. During the pandemic, she worked remotely, and so, to her regret, there are some young clients that she never met face-to-face, only electronically.

Ellen is involved beyond the Weeders with the Essex Land Trust, but again she is weeding, this time the pollinator garden at Pratt House. The garden is designed with plants that are attractive to species like bees and butterflies that spread pollen from plant to plant, thereby fertilizing the plants and thus leading to the production of seeds and, ultimately, flowers, fruit, and vegetables.

Ellen also goes on some of the hikes that the Essex Land Trust organizes.

No parade for Jazzy or anybody else this year, but there is always next year.

Then perhaps Ellen, with her daughter and family along with Jazzy, appropriately leashed and attended for proper doggie-relief etiquette, will be able to participate. Then Jazzy will finally be able to enjoy what the old saying predicts: a dog that has its day.