New West is once again going to the dogs for the 16th annual Doggy Fun Day.
This year’s event is taking place on Sunday, Aug. 30 from 11:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. at Queen’s Park. It features contests, vendors selling dog supplies or services, offering training or providing dog-related charities, raffles and a 50/50 draw.
“It’s going to be fun,” said Cheryl Rogers, one of the event’s organizers. “If it rains, it is Soggy Doggy Fun Day. There has only been one year when we had rain.”
Rain or shine, dogs and their people will take part in a number of contests including the seven-legged race (two humans and one dog), the egg and spoon race (human holding leashed dog with one hand and an egg in a spoon with the other) and the dog/owner lookalike contest. The bobbing for wieners competition, which features dogs trying to gobble up pieces of wieners floating in a bucket of water, is so popular that it includes a number of heats, quarter-finals, semi-finals and finals.
Rogers recalled one year when a pup was so anxious to gobble up the wieners that he knocked the pail over, and ate all the wiener pieces without having to get his nose wet.
“The dogs have a lot of fun,” Rogers said.
In the Super Duper Pooper Scooper race, kids will race around the field picking up as much fake doggy poop as possible and placing it in a bucket.
A variety of demonstrations are planned for the day, including a bite-protection demonstration, some K9 Nose Work (dogs searching for scented items that have been hidden) and dog agility.
The entertainment begins at noon, followed by the games. It’s taking place on the playing field above the off-leash dog park.
The event is a fundraiser for VEATA, with funds going to support pets belonging to people in crisis. VEATA (Volunteer Education and Assistance Team for Animals) fosters animals for people who may not be able to care for their pets temporarily because they’re in the hospital, detox and treatment programs.
VEATA invites community members to drop by Doggy Fun Day and check out the day’s activities. The event is free, but food can be purchased from the City of New Westminster’s on-site concession.
For more information, email doggyfunday.nw.gmail.com.
