Fur, feathers, wagging tails and wet noses are back for a special day in the park.
Auburn’s Petpalooza – a festival for pets of all sizes and shapes – invades Game Farm Park for a day of celebration and entertainment.
Saturday’s 10th annual event festival is from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. in the park, 3030 R St. SE.
The free event features live entertainment on the Tractor Supply Co. stage, including, among others, the Roving Reptiles, Northwest Animal Adventures and The Parrot Lady. Petpalooza includes pony rides, Mud Bay’s Northwest Pet Contest, an agility area, the FlyDogs and agility demonstrations, and more than 150 vendors offering a variety of low-cost pet services, adoptions, samples, information and a large selection of animal-related products.
The K9 Kings High Flying Dog Show – J.D. Platt’s high-energized performance – features up to 11 breeds, acrobatic trick dog routines, rescue dogs and a large meet-and-greet area.
New to Petpalooza is the widely popular All-Alaskan Racing Pigs.
The festival will showcase a no-barrier petting zoo. Once inside the enclosure, all the animals roam freely with the public. The zoo includes wallabies, goats, sheep, chickens, rabbits and more. Children can also enjoy animal-related face painting, compliments of the Auburn Youth Council, free inflatable rides and ArtRageous hands-on art projects.
Coming back to Petpalooza is Border Collie International, a performing Canine Team of rescued border collies. Also offered is the NutriSource Community Frisbee Contest at 2 p.m. and one-on-one hands-on Frisbee clinics.
Registrations are being accepted for the Dog Trot Fun Run, a family-oriented fun run/walk, at 9:30 a.m. Participants may choose between the 3K or the 5K routes. Registration is $23 per person, and event day registration is $25 per person. T-shirts are available on a limited basis for late and on-site registrations.
Petpalooza will serve up many food options.
Complete event information can be found at auburnwa.gov/petpalooza, or call Auburn Parks, Arts & Recreation at 253-931-3043.
