There were many dogs at the 5th annual Little Rhodie Bully Breed Club Pit Bull Plunge New Year’s Day at City Park, but none quite as admired as Papi.

Papi, his tail swinging like at metronome, was the center of attention and loving it. That was great until the plungers hastily dried off, packed up their gear and left with their canine companions. Papi left, too, only he wasn’t going to a home. He returned to the Charlestown Animal Shelter where he has resided for more than 600 days.

“We have kind of changed our mission,” said club president Susan Parker before she and her husband Harry dashed into the shallow waters of Brushneck Cove. Parker said the club is focusing its attention on dogs that seem to “get forgotten” in shelters across the state.

The Parkers practice what they preach. They adopted Taz that had been a resident of the Smithfield Animal Shelter for 18 months. The dog was renamed Teddy and Susan, the owner of Dynamic Dog Training, trained him to become the mascot of PVD Pups, the dog therapy program run by the Parkers at Green Airport.

Susan said after identifying dogs like Papi, the club would work with animal control officers to help find homes and assist families adopting the dogs. That assistance will include training and ensuring that the dog and the family are a good fit.

The annual plunge raises about $1,800 and is the club’s major fundraiser of the year. And while there were scores of dogs at the event, unlike their human companions they stayed on the beach and dry.