By Jena Carr
An event about pets is returning to Geelong for a fun day of animal-inspired activities and to help raise money for local animal charities.
The Geelong Pet Expo will be held at the Geelong Showgrounds on Saturday, March 4, featuring a range of activities for every pet lover.
Event organiser Susie Blair said there would be information sessions, contests, and more than 30 stalls available to animal lovers of any age and accessibility.
“We’ve got some fun doggy contents. So, we have the waggiest tail, the best dressed dog, and the trickiest trickster, so just any kind of dogs that can do tricks can come along to that,” she said.
“This is in the arena, and we’ve also got a couple of sessions with me, doing basic trick training if people want to join in with their dogs.
“We have got accessible access and the event is on a flat ground, it’s very accessible to everybody.”
Mrs Blair said some of the event’s proceeds would go towards animal welfare organisations Cherished Pets, Wildlife Rescue Peace Bro Co., and the Winged Horse Equine Welfare.
“They are three that I really believe in,” she said.
“I absolutely love and adore what they do for the community.”
Mrs Blair said that people could bring their dogs to the event if they could cope with large crowds and there was at least one handler per dog.
“You can bring your own dogs; they just need to be dogs that can handle being in a crowd and with other dogs,” she said.
Cherished Pets founder Doctor Alicia Kennedy said she felt honoured to be a beneficiary of the Geelong Pets Expo.
“It’s a great event to bring the dog community together and for people to learn about what’s available in our community for responsible dog ownership,” she said.
“When you think about the human-animal bond, it’s a very profound time for people when they’re facing the loss of their pet, and it’s a very vulnerable time.
“As a beneficiary, you’re supporting the charitable work that we do in the community, which is supporting pets of people experiencing vulnerability.”
Dr Kennedy said Cherished Pets provided financial support to the elderly or people with disabilities to help them look after their pets.
“Any funds that we received from this event will be going into the bucket for our home pet assistant service,” she said.
Cheaper event tickets for next Saturday’s event at the Geelong Showgrounds, 79 Breakwater Road, East Geelong, from 10am to 3pm, are available online at geelongpetexpo.com.au when pre-booked.
