Canine Extravaganza lets dogs have their day
A dog shakes off after going for a brief dip in the Flathead River at the Old Steel Bridge Fishing Access site on Tuesday, March 19. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake)
Flathead Valley dogs will have their day on March 30 at the first Canine Expo Extravaganza in Kalispell.
The pet-friendly event invites members of the community to check out a host of canine resources available locally.
Trainers, groomers, pet-sitters, boarding facility operators, photographers, artists and other vendors will set up booths advertising their products and services, while veterinarians and nonprofits will offer mini-seminars on various dog-centered topics.
Dogs of all kinds will have their own room where visitors can enter and discover a variety of breeds during the “Meet the Breed” event. Owners and breeders of both common and rare breeds will be available to answer questions on different breeds’ characteristics, abilities, habits, health and more.
The Flathead County Sheriff’s Office will have a booth to continue raising money for its two new drug-interdiction dogs.
Sponsored by the Flathead Kennel Club, an official affiliate of the American Kennel Club, the expo also will provide information on AKC events in the Flathead each year.
Youth ages 5 to 19 interested in joining the Flathead 4-H dogs club can also sign up at the event.
According to organizer Vicky Olson with the Flathead Kennel Club, she and fellow members began putting the expo together as a way to inform dog owners of all the different resources available to them and their dogs within the community as well as give vendors a chance to market their goods and services.
Olson said the event has grown into one of the largest canine events to be offered locally.
The expo will take place at the Gateway Community Center in Kalispell on Saturday, March 30, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Admission is free to the public and dogs are welcome as long as they are leashed, dog-friendly and people-friendly.
For more information about getting a booth for your business, service or club, contact Kathryn Smith at 818-303-6838.
Reporter Mary Cloud Taylor can be reached at 758-4459 or mtaylor@dailyinterlake.com.