Calgary animal lovers flock to Spruce Meadows for first-ever PetFest
Calgary animal lovers, owners and educators will be heading to Spruce Meadows this weekend for the venue's first-ever PetFest.
The event is described as a "pet extravaganza" featuring performances, displays, educational demos, charity work — and, of course, a chance to hang out with some animals.
"PetFest was started because we have a love for our community and of animals, so we wanted to bring together both of those great loves into one event," said Spruce Meadow's Krista Poffenroth.
"We’ve really seen how much Calgarians and the surrounding areas love animals."
While there is an intense focus on dogs, every type of animal is shown during the three day event.
A reptile display, for example, includes snakes and a tortoise, while next door, a sloth lazes his way through a tree-lined exhibit.
It’s all complimented by more than 60 local vendors.
"I come to pet events because they’re fun," Cheddar Dogs vendor Danielle Schule said.
"Everybody here just loves their pets a lot, so it’s fun to celebrate with them."
Lisa Wright is a sheep dog trial expert, showing her skills to audiences before the Canadian Championships go this summer in Cypress County.
"It’s not the same as obedience work or trick work, and I think anybody that watches a dog work with a human, to move a different species, thinks it’s very cool," she said.
While it is an event focused on animals, attendees are asked to leave their pets at home.
PetFest runs until Sunday night.
For ticket information or to see opening hours, visit sprucemeadows.com.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
'He's in our hearts': Family and friends still seek answers one year after Nathan Wise’s disappearance
It’s been a year since Nathan Wise went missing and his family is no closer to finding out what happened to him.
'My family doctor just fired me': Ontario patients frustrated with de-rostering
Dozens of Ontarians are expressing frustration in the province’s health-care system after their family doctors either dropped them as patients or threatened to after they sought urgent care elsewhere.
Ottawa pizzeria places among top 20 deep-dish pizzas in the world at international competition
An Ottawa pizzeria is being recognized as one of the top 20 deep-dish pizzas in the world.
Canada Post cracks down on Nunavut loophole to get free Amazon Prime shipping
Amazon's paid subscription service provides free delivery for online shopping across Canada except for remote locations, the company said in an email. While customers in Iqaluit qualify for the offer, all other communities in Nunavut are excluded.
Wildfire near Fort McMurray more than triples overnight, several evacuation alerts remain in place
The fire burning near Fort McMurray grew from 25 hectares to 5,500 hectares over the weekend.
Putin replaces Russian defence minister in rare cabinet shakeup
Russia’s President Vladimir Putin began a Cabinet shakeup on Sunday, proposing the replacement of Sergei Shoigu as defence minister as he begins his fifth term in office.
Man fatally 'slashed in the neck' in downtown Toronto, suspect outstanding
Police are searching for a male suspect after a man was “slashed in neck” on Sunday morning in downtown Toronto and died.
WATCH Dashcam video shows terrifying near-miss on two-lane northern Ontario highway
There were some scary moments for several people on a northern Ontario highway caught on video Thursday after a chain reaction following a truck fire.
Edibles, armchairs and adapters: Here are the recalls for this week
Health Canada announced various product recalls this week, including electric adapters, armchairs, cannabis edibles and vehicle components.