Land O' Lakes Goes To The Dogs Saturday

If your best friend has four legs and loves to wag its tail, there’s an event on tap this weekend you may want to check out. Bark-Fest 2011 gets under way at 10 a.m. at the .

The second annual festival is designed as a fundraiser for the complex’s dog park, the SPCA in New Port Richey and ’ Land O’ Lakes shelter.

“We’re trying to enhance our dog park,” explained Ruth Collins, a recreation leader at the complex and one of the event’s organizers.

Proceeds from the event will be used to purchase items for the 3032 Collier Pky. park that the county’s budget doesn’t cover.

Attendees can help support the SPCA by bringing out donations of dog and cat food. For animal services, toys, blankets, bedding and other related items for cats and dogs are requested.

According to Rosemary Lyons, animal services’ education coordinator, donations are greatly appreciated.

“We are always happy to take donations of (non-scoopable) kitty litter, durable cat toys, durable dog toys and leashes,” Lyons said, adding that high-efficiency laundry soap is also in demand.

Much like the recreation center, animal services is limited in what it can spend its budget money purchasing, she said.

“The things that are donated are generally the things that are not included in our budget,” Lyons said. “We may consider a fuzzy bed for a cat or a toy for a dog important, (but those items are not approved in the county budget).”

While Bark-Fest is a fundraiser, it’s also designed to be a whole lot of fun, Collins said.

The event features a variety of vendors who offer animal-related products, an agility course for dogs, a pet contest with goodie bag prizes, agility demonstrations, a grooming demonstration and more.

The dog contest includes prizes for the smallest and largest dogs, the best dressed, the best tail wag and best trick. That event starts around 10:30 a.m. and will run throughout Bark-Fest. The sign-up is at the donation wagon.

The Central Florida Dog & Disc Club will field a competition starting at 11 a.m. on the football field, as well.

Area dog owners see the importance of fundraisers like Bark-Fest to enhance the facilities and appreciate the community’s support of the park.

“This is my only place I can bring him to run and play,” explained Wendy Holmes about her German short-haired pointer, Riley. “Everyone is really nice. He loves doggy park.”

Ashley and Ryan Newton agree. They bring their 14-week-old lab mix Jordy and their bullmastiff Beasley, 8 months, to the park all the time.

“We’d be devastated if it weren’t here,” said Ryan.

“The days we don’t come, they’re sad,” Ashley added.

For more information about Bark-Fest, call the recreation complex at 813-929-1220. The event runs from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.