Spend time with your pet

Whether scales, whiskers or sad eyes characterize your pet, by the time the weekend rolls around, they want some quality time with their family. This weekend they are in luck. Pet owners all over the region can load their pet pals into the car and head straight for Pet Fest at the Spokane Fair and Expo Center.

Although Pet Fest is an opportunity for animal shelters to display animals available for adoption, it is also a social event for pets.

“People bring everything,” said Rachel Grafmiller, Pet Fest promoter. “Last year I saw a guy with his cat. I know someone registered their snake this year.”

Of the 20 plus rescues and shelters from all over Eastern Washington and Northern Idaho scheduled to attend, some are nontraditional. Ferret Rescue of Spokane, Pampered Parrots, Avian Rescue, Reptile Rescue and Thumpqua Rabbit Sanctuary are among the most unusual.

Grafmiller points to the main reason for the event.

“May is generally the time when the shelters are overwhelmed with puppies and kittens. Euthanasia is also highest during this time,” said Grafmiller. “The events this weekend will offer one-stop shopping for perspective pet adopters.”

Event highlights this year include Singing with Your Pet Duet, Hyperflite Skyhoundz Canine Disc Championships, and the Dog Food Dive, in which contestants are asked to slap on goggles and coveralls and dive into a truck bed filled with dog food for prizes. All dog food used in the contest will be donated to the Spokane Humane Society.

Low to the ground

Another favorite scene at Pet Fest is the annual Wiener Dog Race.

Lynn Briggs, owner of Kirby, a 5-year-old black-and-tan female Wiener Dog, said, “Kirby’s debut last year has convinced us to train harder this year.”

Tracey McHenry, observer of last year’s race, described the event as “heaven. It seems silly when you hear about it, but when you get there it’s so much fun.”

Briggs added, “Their little ears are flapping as they come down the track on their stubby little legs. And they are so sincere.”

Pet Stars

If your pet has stars in her eyes, there’s something special for her. Producers for the Animal Planet will view footage from Pet Fest for candid shots and bloopers for Planet’s Funniest Animals. Last year Patricia Gruner and her dog Lexi were invited to California after being selected for Pet Star auditions.

Pet Fest has grown from a small affair at North Town Mall in 2002, into a two-day pet extravaganza. “It really blossomed in 2003,” said Grafmiller, “when it was moved to the fairgrounds.”

Organizers added an extra day to the festivities this year since attendance has doubled every year since the event’s inception.

“Support from the community is what makes this annual pet event possible. Last year we reached 3,300 in one day and we had to add another day to accommodate crowds,” she said.

Pet Fest donates a portion of the admissions proceeds to the Spokane Humane Society. More than $8,000 has been donated over the last three years to the shelter, and just last year 75 pets were adopted.

“This year we hope to bring that number to 120 pets,” said Diane Rasmussen, community education and volunteer coordinator for the Spokane Humane Society. “If you are looking for a new pet, this is where you want to be.”