Pet Fest - Lorain, Ohio | Ohio Festivals

This post documents my experience on August 22, 2010.

For my 50th festival, I was hoping to do something local, laid back, and a little different than the other festivals I’ve been attending.

So I went to Lorain’s Black River Landings, where the Community Animal Task Force was putting on their 2nd Annual Pet Fest. And although I didn’t bring my mom’s dog with me…

…plenty of other people brought theirs.

The Black River Landings was an ideal location for the Pet Fest…

…especially with all its open space.

This allowed for…

…owners and pets to camp out in the field…

…pets to test their agility in a trainer‘s obstacle course…

…and for owners to enjoy a classic car show.

Along the midway, vendors present catered to both humans and dogs. Available to both were…

…food…

…snacks…

…attire…

…and even massages.

And although the humans…

…had beer…

…the 3 foot long chew sticks seemed an almost equal match for the dogs…

…especially with the pool to sweeten the deal.

But this seemingly innocent doggy pool was more than simply a way for dogs to cool off. It was to get their paws wet (so to speak)…

…for the Dock Dogs competition.

Dock Dogs, which started as a filler event during the first annual ESPN Great Outdoor Games in 2000, is now a competition that takes place in the US, the UK, Japan, Germany and Australia.

It goes like this…

…owners rile up their dogs…

…before tossing their favorite toy in a long pool of water…

…which they fetch before climbing out sopping wet.

Scoring depends on the distance jumped, using the side ruler.

This is where the majority of people were with their dogs…

…since it really was fun to watch.

See for yourself.

But, while Dock Dogs may have been a big draw to Pet Fest, it may have also inhibited some of Pet Fest’s potential. I mean…it’s called “Pet Fest,” not “Dog Fest.”

And yet all I really saw…

…were dogs.

Where were the cats, mice, sugar gliders, lizards, fish, birds, and frogs? Did they have to go to their own festival likes the skunks do in North Ridgeville?

I do know that the festival itself benefited cats (don’t tell the dogs), so I guess “pets” are validated in this sense.

Fortunately, even with all the other animals absent, there were some organizations present that do great services for many types of animals…