ESCANABA, Mich. (WLUC) – Dogs enjoyed a festival just for them at the Upper Peninsula State Fair Grounds on Sunday.
Escanaba’s first-ever U.P. Pet Festival invited dogs and their humans to learn more about what they can do together. The weekend event showcased demonstrations from a K-9 dog and meet and greets with different breeds.
Bay de Noc Kennel Club Instructor Lori Genaw says agility training is the most fun activity to do with your pet.
“When we do transfer that high value and let them make the correct choices and be good dogs and do what we say,” Genaw said. “It’s a process, not an event, so we really work through those with our dogs in our training.”
She said the training methods have evolved over the years. The sport tries to bring a dog’s high energy onto the course.
“We’re considering that dogs are a thinking breed and that they can make choices, and we encourage them to make the correct choices and discourage the choices we don’t want,” Genaw said.
She believed any dog could do agility training, even without competing. How easy it’ll be to train a pup depends on its breed.
Families also shopped for their pets at booths selling accessories and grooming supplies. A member of the festival’s organizing committee, Kristin Bordeau, said the closest pet festival was in Green Bay. She encountered other people from the U.P. attending the festival.
“A lot of people are so involved with their dogs, and we have so many great organizations and great pets up here and pet owners that want to do things with their dogs,” Bordeau said.
She wanted a closer event with many opportunities for all pets, not just dogs. She’s also the manager at D&D Dog Dynamics and worked with the owner to create the festival. The weekend had a great turnout, with over 200 people visiting on Saturday.
“You find another pet owner, and they’re having the same problem, you feel connected, and you can work things out or you don’t feel alone,” Bordeau said.
She hopes for next year’s pet fest to be larger and even better.
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