Fun for 2-legged & 4-legged friends

The Arizona Animal Fair happens this Saturday (supposed to be sunny and warm) at Reid Park. This is a family-friendly and pet-friendly event and it’s free. Be sure to visit all the different rescues and perhaps put some spare change or a few bucks in their donation jars. Our rescues and shelters constantly struggle financially. The goal of the Super Adoption area is to find 100 forever homes in one day. You might not leave with a pet but you can fill out the paperwork or at the very least — consider the options. Here are some tips for enjoying the Fair.

from the press release

Tucson is home to one of the largest festivals celebrating animals in the Southwest – the annual Arizona Animal Fair! The event takes place Saturday, March 2 from 10 am to 4 pm in Reid Park at the NW corner of 22nd Street and Country Club (near the off-leash dog park).

It is free for people and their pets and any proceeds from fair events are returned to the animal rescue community.  

Pets are welcome as long as they are on a 6-foot or shorter leash, are well behaved, and do well in crowds, with other animals, and loud noises.

More than 30 animal rescue groups will be on hand bringing the widest array of animals available for adoption in any one place.  This includes dogs and puppies, cats and kittens, ferrets, rabbits, and reptiles. Other rescues, sanctuaries, trained therapy animals for humans, and businesses with pet products will be there as well. Also on hand for fun, education and petting will be llamas, miniature horses, and goats.

Entertainment is scheduled throughout the day with demonstrations by Police K-9 dogs, flyball dog racing, Tucson Musical Canine Freestyle (otherwise known as doggie dancing) and dog trick demonstrations.

In addition, musicians and DJ’s will provide music in the pet-friendly beer garden from 11 am to 4 pm and food vendors will be present throughout the day.

Low-cost vaccinations and micro-chipping for pets will be available by various veterinary organizations and the Humane Society of Southern Arizona. Fairgoers are also encouraged to learn about the many low- or no-cost spay and neuter options available in Pima County.

The Arizona Animal Fair is hosted by Tucson-based nonprofit Saving Animals from Euthanasia (SAFE). The purpose of the event is to promote the welfare of animals by educating the community about sterilization to prevent pet overpopulation; promote micro-chipping; adopting lost, abandoned or unwanted shelter or rescue group pets; and the humane treatment of animals.

For more information about the annual Arizona Animal Fair please visit the website .   Volunteers are still needed for a variety of different opportunities. Get out there and have some fun.

Take me to the AZ Animal Fair

Woof! Last year we thought that would be the end of this event because of the cost to put the event on but it’s back with a new leash on life and national and local sponsors.

In 2011, I went to Arizona Animal Fair and the birds and the beasts were there. This year (11th annual) many shelters and breed rescues, low cost vaccinations & microchipping (the latter $15 from Humane Society Southern Arizona), dogs dancing, dogs doing tricks, training demos, police K9s, canine agility, puppy Pawcasso (paint with your pet), and more, much more will be available to enjoy for people and their pets.

The website and Facebook pages could use a few good shots of updated adrenalin but don’t let that stop you from going and checking out all the animal action.

Adopt a pet. Here’s a list of who will be there. Come meet dogs, cats, ferrets, rats, horses, burros, potbellied pigs, birds, and maybe even some reptiles. Adopt a pet!

And if you get hungry, check out the food court and beer garden.

An event of this scope always needs lots of volunteers. Check it out — could be a fun way to get involved…

From the Arizona Animal Fair website

Tips for enjoying the event:

–Pets and their people are welcome to the Fair…as long as they are all well-behaved. Please leave any pet [or human!] at home that is not well-socialized or reacts unpredictably or negatively in large crowds.
–Aggressive dogs [or people] posing a threat to other animals or people will be asked to leave immediately.
–Pets must be on a leash of 6’ or shorter at all times.
–Please bring plenty of water for your pet! Bottled water is available for purchase from the Food Court and Beer Garden, plus there are a few water fountains in the area. A portable or collapsible water bowl is a great asset while cruisin’ the fair.
–It is recommended that all pets have some form of identification in case they get separated from their person [same goes for small children]. If you lose a person or pet at the fair, please come to the Lost & Found booth so we may alert on-site police officers immediately.
–Parking at the event can be a challenge – so many people, so few parking spaces at Reid Park! Please plan accordingly, as cars parked illegally will be ticketed by the City of Tucson.
–Wear comfortable, weather-appropriate clothing and shoes. Hats & sunscreen are highly recommended.
–Please assist us in keeping the Arizona Animal Fair a FUN & SAFE community event by alerting fair volunteers or uniformed security/police officers of anything potentially dangerous.

The event is held at Reid Park (just north of 22nd @ Country Club) from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday, March 3.

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(Photo is courtesy of Jaymie who rescued Pequitas the Shar Pei, one of three dogs that I recently wrote about that needed rescuing. Jaymie was kind enough to share the photo with me and said, “Attached is an image of our new baby girl Pequitas. I can honestly say that adopting her was one of the best decisions I have every made. She is a very sweet and got a long with my other dog very well.” Thank you Jaymie D! )

Smiling Cuvee

The 10th Annual Arizona Animal Fair is an all-day festival celebrating pets! The event is attended by over 8,000 people, all proceeds from the event benefit the animal rescue community. Can you help?

Event Date: Saturday March 5, 2011 from 10 a.m. – 4 p.m.
Set-up: Thursday March 3 (physical labor) & Friday March 4 (somewhat physical)

Volunteers are critical to the success of this event. Grab a friend or teenager (or a gaggle of young adults) and c’mon down. Meet like-minded animal lovers and have fun.

Assistance is needed with the following:
–Super Adoption Area – help meet the goal of finding forever homes for 100+ animals!
–Vendor Relief – the fun job of cruisin’ the fair, offering breaks to vendors as needed.
–Event set-up & break-down – put your muscles to work and it burns calories
–Food Court & Beer Garden – keeping everything tidy & safe for fair goers
–Pet Psychic Booth – schedule appointments with our animal intuition expert
–SAFE Store – sell t-shirts and other cool stuff with all proceeds benefiting SAFE (Saving Animals from Euthanasia)

Location: Reid Park, on the NE corner of 22nd St/Country Club Blvd.

If you only have an hour to help set up (during your lunch hour), all hands are welcome. But, people who volunteer for a 4-hour shift or longer receive a free awesome t-shirt commemorating the 10th annual event.

Read the specifics and how to sign up.

(Photo is courtesy of Bonnie Lewis. Cuvee belongs to Yvonne Foucher, owner of Catavinos Wine Shoppe. Cuvee often greets customers.)