DEC. 2006

15th Annual Connecticut Pet Show
A Huge Success!

By Tamara Sevigny
Photos by Jake Koteen

A wide variety of animal lovers came together at the end of October in Hartford at the 15th Annual Connecticut Pet Show. Bird lovers and reptile lovers joined the cat and dog lovers as well as horse lovers at this two-day animal lover’s event. Many visitors brought their own pets, dozens dressed for the nearing Halloween holiday.

The show gets bigger every year. This year there were over 125 vendors, ranging from rescue organizations, pet food sellers, specialty pet shop retailers, k-9 units, kennels, veterinarians, pet sitters and much more. They offered everything from entertainment, services and information to adoptable furry friends and novelty gifts.

Thousands of visitors attended, not just for the vendors, but also enjoyed the Schmackos Extreme Canine Show, Bill’s Exotic Bird Show, The AKC Parade of Purebred Dogs presented by the South Windsor Kennel Club, The International Cat Association Cat Show (TICA), with over 100 breeds of exotic and domestic purebred cats, The Rare and Ancient Dog Breed Show, featuring extremely rare breeds in a live dog show competition, The Connecticut Humane Society’s Mutt Strut, Talons! A bird of Prey Experience, the Dog Chefs of America Canine Cooking Show, and even pony rides by Lil’ Folk Farm.

Among the special events was a special visitor; the host of television’s Animals Everywhere, Elaine Irvin. Animals Everywhere is a 30-minute weekly television program about all animals, big and small, and the people who interact with them.

Numerous local and national rescue leagues as well as breed clubs and shelters were among the vendors, offering information on pet care. Several featured pets were seeking new homes and many lucky enough to find them.

The Connecticut Humane Society, in celebration of their 125th Anniversary, was proud to be one of the attending shelters with their Mobile Adoption Center full of furry friends, many of which also found new loving homes. They also presented demos of their Shelter Dog Training Program, as well as the Mutt Strut. The MUTTS ONLY parade offered prizes for Ugliest Mug, Biggest Mutt, Smallest Mutt, Cutest Mutt and Best Halloween Costume!

Lorrie Schumacher, Master Falconer, presented the Birds-of-Prey extravaganza! This interactive show taught onlookers about Raptors and even allowed for the birds to fly around while the audience watched in awe.

The Schmackos Extreme Canines Show was among the most entertaining. This crazy show is made up of dogs that were rescued from all over the United States and trained to perform extremely cool stunts.

The show, sponsored by PETCO, the PETCO Foundation, Schmackos Dog Treats, the CT Humane Society, Pets Press and others has been a yearly event for 15 years now and brought to Connecticut by Osborne/Jenks Productions. If you missed the Annual Connecticut Pet Show this year, be sure to check it out next year. Visit www.osbornejenks.com for more information on upcoming shows.