Woofa-Roo Pet Festival returning this weekend at Libro Centre

The annual festival geared to four-legged friends returns this weekend.

The Woofa-Roo Pet Festival returns to the Libro Centre in Amherstburg this Saturday and Sunday. Organizing committee chair Lorene Clayton said the event will feature both returning events and new events.

“The fan favourites are back,” she said.

Those include dock diving, dog agility, lure coursing, the Windsor Police K-9 unit and dog racing among other events and attractions.

Among the new events this year are field events for sporting dogs, including presentations by Erie Shores Retrievers. Clayton said they will be demonstrating what dogs can do in the field, noting hunters may be particularly interested in what is presented. She said dogs have to be intelligent, engaged and disciplined to be able to do some of what is asked of them.

Presentations are at 12 noon Saturday and 10 a.m. Sunday.

“I think there is a huge population that will really love to see this,” she said.

Elite Shed Dogs will also be presenting. The dogs trained through that organization help find antlers that are shed by deer, elk or other types of animals and retrieve them. The antlers are eventually turned into dog chews.

“They are doing a demonstration Saturday at 2 p.m.,” said Clayton.

The Woofa-Roo Pet Festival will benefit seven different charities or rescues in the area, including SNAP for Cats, Southshore Pony Club, The Runaways Farm, Tiny Paws Rabbit Rescue, St. John Ambulance Therapy Dogs, the Cat Assistance Team (CAT) and the Windsor-Essex County Humane Society. Tiny Paws Rabbit Rescue is a new addition this year, Clayton added.

Clayton said since 2013, the Woofa-Roo Pet Festival has raised over $100,000 for various charities and rescues.

“We just find it really satisfying. That’s the beautiful part of this festival,” she said. “We’re quite proud of this.”

The Woofa-Roo Pet Festival is earlier this year, with Clayton noted they are trying out a new date. She said last year’s event was in the summer and high heat caused a day of dog racing to be eliminated. 

“We’ll see how it goes,” Clayton said of the new date. “We’ll try it out.”

Volunteers came out in droves this year and she added they are all appreciated. All of the sponsors are appreciated as well, she pointed out.

Admission is $10 per person, $5 for youth ages 6-16 with children five and under free. Hours are 9:30 a.m.-5:30 p.m. both days.

Woofa-Roo Pet Festival returning this weekend at Libro Centre

By Ron Giofu