FKF hosts Pet-A-Palooza to help local families keep pets healthy

Gillette’s only all-day pet festival takes place September 9
September 1, 2017—Gillette, WY--On Saturday, September 9, Fur Kids Foundation hosts Pet-A-Palooza at CAM-PLEX Park, Shelter No. 5 starting at 10 am. The event is free to the public; some activities and attractions have fees.

Each dog owner who attends the event is required to complete a registration form and liability waiver before entering Pet-A-Palooza. Participants may register ahead of time a www.furkidsfoundation.org/pap.html before Wednesday, September 6. Advance registration is helpful to organizers but owners may register onsite.

Fur Kids Foundation is the only organization in Northeastern Wyoming that provides families with pets access to emergency veterinary care when they cannot afford it. Since September 2012, Fur Kids Foundation has helped more than 430 families and granted nearly $70,000 in aid. Pet-A-Palooza is the Fur Kids Foundation’s signature event and largest annual fundraiser. Roughly 75 percent of the funds raised at all Fur Kids Foundation events help families keep their pets healthy in Campbell County, Wyoming.

Contests
Pawject Runway, Noon-1 pm (registration closes at 11:30 am): Participants whose dogs have the attitudes of beauty queens should enter their pooch in Pawject Runway. The entrance fee for Pawject Runway is $10, and participants can walk the red carpet in one category or strut their stuff in three categories:

1. Best Dressed: judges will examine those with the costume or outfit, and accessories; a matching duo owner/dog will encourage better scores!
2. Congeniality: judges will critique your pet’s personality on the dog-walk (best personality, swagger and/or character)
3. Best Western Wear: judges will examine strictly on outfit and fitting of outfit based upon runway theme

Winners in each category take home a $50 cash prize, generously donated by The Knotty Salon.
 
Small Dog Showdown, 2 pm (registration closes at 1:30 pm): They may be tiny, but often these small dogs are faster than a speeding bullet! This fast-action race is specifically designed for dogs 20 pounds and under! The Foundation will pin participants’ dogs against one another in a 40-foot race to the championship title. Cost is $5 and participants must provide proof of rabies vaccination. Winners receive a fabulous small dog gift basket provided by a dedicated Fur Kids Foundation volunteer. There are two categories:

1. Micro Mutts, up to 10 pounds
2. Tiny Tots, 11 to 20 pounds

 
Attractions and Demonstrations

1. Agility, 10 am-4 pm: Participants can take their pooch through tunnels, over jumps and weave through poles and more with the Campbell County 4-H Agility Course! All dogs and handlers, from those just beginning agility training to those with expert skills, are welcome. $5 with 50 percent of the proceeds returning to the Foundation! An agility demonstration takes place at 10 am, for those interested in seeing how it’s done.
2. Police Dog Demo with Officer Dillard, 10 am: Hear about what it takes to be a police dog, how police dogs help, and see a demonstration of K-9s in action! Free
3. Pet Blessing 10:30 am: Participants may blow bubbles in memory of their pets. Free
4. Freestyle Demo with Mary L'Esperance and a  Rally Demo with Cindy Thornberry, 11 am: For those who don't know, canine freestyle is a choreographed trick training performed by handlers and their dogs set to music. So, essentially, you get to perform a dance routine with your pooch! The object of musical freestyle is to display the dog and handler in a creative, innovative and original dance, using music and intricate movements to showcase teamwork, artistry, costuming, athleticism, and style in interpreting the theme of the music. Rally offers both the dogs and handlers an experience that is fun and energizing. The team of handler and dog move at their own pace through a course of 10 to 20 stations, depending on the level. It's like a more fast-paced version of obedience training. ​ Free
5. Dog paw art, 10 am-4 pm: Let your pooch's inner Picasso shine through with some dog paw art! Attendees can make a simple paw print or create paw flowers for a donation.
6. Photo booth, 10 am-4 pm: For a donation, attendees can have an event memento with or without their pooch taken. Volunteers created a fun frame for participants to pose with and the Foundation has provided some props to use in the photos.
7. Vendors, 10 am-4 pm: Features local artists, food vendors, pet groomers, pet treat makers, trainers, veterinary offices, and other businesses that attendees can visit with. Vendors this year include: Animal Medical Center of Wyoming; Fur Kids Foundation; The Knotty Salon; Lazy KT Designs; Oglala Pet Project; Overhead Door Co. of Gillette; Red Hills Veterinary Hospital; Rosebud Concessions, LLC; The SPaw / Deirdre's Grooming / Grooming by Becky; Wagler Girls; ​and Wyoming Basset Hound Rescue.
8. Silent Auction tables, 10 am-2:30 pm: There are tables filled with pet-themed goodies and toys, and other items from businesses and individuals.

 
Want to Help?
Fur Kids Foundation seeks volunteers to work throughout the day. Interested people should contact the Foundation at (307) 363-1131 or volunteerfkf@gmail.com. 
 
Pet-A-Palooza is supported by: Anastasia Blackwell Dog Training; Animal Medical Center of Wyoming; Best Friends Forever Mobile Pet Grooming; Cloud Peak Energy; Community Veterinary Clinic; ​First National Bank of Gillette; Fraternal Order of the Eagles - Aux. 2711; Friedlan Family; Gillette Optometric Clinic; The Knotty Salon; Lazy KT Designs; Darren and Kim Lynde; Masters of Ceremony; Overhead Door Co. of Gillette; Pet Grooming by Becky; Pizza Carrello; Premier Home Mortgage; Red Hills Veterinary Hospital; S & S Builders, LLC; Peggy and Rod Seppala; and The SPaw.
 
For more information about Pet-A-Palooza, contact the Fur Kids Foundation at furkidsfoundation@gmail.com or (307) 363-1131.
 
About Fur Kids Foundation
Created in November 2011, the Fur Kids Foundation is a 501 (c) (3) nonprofit organization that provides education and aid to promote the well-being of families with animals in Campbell County. Since September 2012, Fur Kids Foundation has helped more than 430 families and granted nearly $70,000 in aid. Pet-A-Palooza is the Fur Kids Foundation’s signature event and largest annual fundraiser. For more information, or to read the blog, visit www.furkidsfoundation.org. Find Fur Kids Foundation on www.facebook.com/furkidsfoundation. Follow us on Twitter, @furkidswyo. 

For Immediate Release
Contact: Felicia Messimer
furkidsfoundation@gmail.com
307.363.1131