SPCA hosts annual Pet Expo

Hundreds of pets made their way to the Capital Exhibition Centre this weekend for the Fredericton SPCA’s Pet Expo.

This family friendly event that had over 50 animal related vendors, a Kid Zone, raffles, silent actions and demonstrations from various obedience clubs.

One of the most viewed performances was from the River Valley Obedience Club, where they offered demonstrations of Obedience Training, Rally-O and canine games and tricks. They also gave advice on dog training and care for any dog owner in need. Besides their obedience classes, the club tries to be very active in the community specially in nursing homes where their dogs bring smiles to the residents. 

“Our club has been going for 61 years and we try to take part in as many community aspects as we can, ” said Sue Wishert, Club President. “Our dogs also go to nursing homes with our hospital visitation program.”

The Pet Expo gives many non-profit organizations the opportunity to raise money for their cause,  like the Fresh Start Dane Rescue. Since 2008, this Non-Profit organization has been focusing on the rescue of Great Danes, their priority always being the welfare of the dog. 

“We do fundraisers to help the Danes when they’re in foster homes”, said one of the volunteers at the Fresh Start Dane Rescue. “Sometimes we’ll have ‘draw from a basket’ or some items for sales, we try to raise as much as we can to help the dogs.”

 Many of the vendors that showed up at the Pet Expo were satisfied with how it turned out. Many clubs received many donations and volunteers.

“The vendors at the expo were amazing, I bought a few things for my pet that I didn’t even know he needed and some holiday gifts,” said Daniela Paz, dog owner. “This expo is great for people who want to get more involved in the community and help any way they can. I donated what I could to some of the organizations and signed up to volunteer but I wish I could do more to help.”