Sunday’s Dogtoberfest event at Brandi Fenton Park had fun for people and their furry best friends.
The festival featured food trucks, pet vendors, and doggy costume contests.
Pups put on a show for their owners strutting in their Halloween outfits and posing against the fall photo backdrop while others showed off for their potential future owners.
Dogtoberfest, put on by Tucson Dog Magazine, Prime Leaf and Dogtopia, is an Adopt-a-thon encouraging attendees to donate to rescues and take home pets in-need.
It also offered affordable vaccinations and microchips.
I think its great for people to see that there can still be events with dogs. Right, well-behaved dogs,” dog owners Ashley Wright and Dave Johnson said. “I think they get such a bad rap being out and about now.
“Especially the big ones like that,” Johnson said, petting their Great Dane, Clyde, who was dressed as an elephant. “Hes probably the most gentle dog here.
Wright and Johnson also brought their smaller pups Ellie and Emmie to Dogtoberfest for socialization.
Stephen Szostek with the Humane Society of Southern Arizona agrees that getting these animals in public settings is a game changer for their interactions with people and other dogs.
Their group attended the event to encourage animal foster care in a neutral environment which will hopefully lead to more adoptions.
The dogs just need some love and attention.
It shows our animals an environment thats not scary. If theyre in the shelter, theyre scared, there are a lot of noises, they dont know whats going on. Its not predictable,” he said.
“We bring them here where theres space, new people, new venue…It teaches them that, ‘I dont always have to be so fearful’.
Szostek added that there’s a definite sense of urgency to raise adoption and foster numbers because most shelters are maxed out in every area.
Were at a point where its just hard in the community. And…its not just one organization. I think its everyone having these same struggles and hurdles,” he said.
“So there is a time where we all kind of have to try and work together to try to get these animals out there, and help our community somehow, right?