Tall, short, furry, or rough, pets of all sorts hold a special place in the hearts of their owners and a community event in Airdrie this weekend is ready to celebrate them all.
Pawz in the Park will be taking place July 22 at Nose Creek Park from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Owners are invited to bring their pets down to the park for a day full of events in celebration of their furry friends.
As it's an inaugural event, co-planner Alicia Harrison said there are some nerves around not knowing what to expect. She added they are hopeful the event will go off without a hitch.
Harrison cited a positive response from the community, adding that they have a number of vendors setting up shop as part of the expo.
“It's a bit scary because you don't quite know what to expect,” she said. “But despite that, we've had great feedback from the community. We've gotten lots of vendors on board.”
Vendors will cover a wide range of categories from veterinarians, groomers, professional dog-walkers, trainers, and local artisans that specialize in handcrafted pet products.
Highlighting the importance of all pet companions, Harrison emphasized the event welcomes dogs and cats to lizards and birds.
Harrison said Airdrie has lacked an event for pets within the city, even though the community has a high number of owners.
“It [Airdrie] has this huge dense population of pet owners,” Harrison said. “The fact that Airdrie hasn't really had this type of event has really helped us as we go along planning and trying to promote it.”
Harrison also stressed that the event will see no pets for sale, but that they have several animal rescues that will be on site. They are focused on helping to find stray animals their special home.
Pawz in the Park will see a number of events throughout the day. An exciting highlight could be the Alberta Dachshund Rescue organization's hosting of wiener dog races in the afternoon. Harrison said attendees can register their dachshunds on site for anyone wishing to participate.
“We have lots of really cool things going on for the whole family,” she said.
According to Harrison, Canine Energy Agility will be setting up an agility course and putting on demonstrations throughout the day. She said attendees that bring their leashed dogs may have the opportunity to give the course a try.
Harrison said the first 150 attendees will receive a swag bag with dog treats, gift cards, and swag from a number of companies that will be participating in the expo.
A 50/50 raffle will be happening with all proceeds going to Megan’s Rescue Efforts Society. Pawz for Change will be on site accepting donations and handing out "puppuccinos," which are essentially small cups of whipped cream for pets to lap up.
Working hard to market the event throughout the city, Harrison hopes to see a high number of community members out to the park in celebration of their pets.
“We've just been working really hard to promote and spotlight this event,” Harrison said. “We want there to be lots of attendance.”
