We did it – again. My little black dog Victor and I made the annual pilgrimage to Pawlooza in London, Ontario, Canada, easily my favourite dog festival for many reasons:
- It’s outdoors in the summer allowing sometimes cranky Victor to have his own space when necessary.
- There’s plenty of vendors – rescues get one area and small businesses get another – to sell and promote products and services.
- ARF dog rescue and LEADS employment assistance non-profit the benefactors of the $10 parking fee.
- Small and large dog off leash areas are provided – more about that later.
- Pawlooza is held on private residential land – a private backyard golf course, specifically.
That’s right. On the third Saturday in August from 9:30 am to 5:00 pm every year, tens of thousands of people, thousands of dogs, and hundreds of cars descend on the Plunkett Estates for the incredibly popular annual Pawlooza dog festival celebrating all things pets with activities all day including dock diving competitions in the lake-sized pond.
Dog agility competitors raced through tunnels and over jumps in the permanent onsite agility barn – that’s right, property owners and dog lovers host Cruisin’ K9 club here year round.
Victor and I trek to Pawlooza each year, and admittedly, it’s not a chore. London is about a 90-minute drive away and for a team that’s spent eight to ten hours in the car together heading to Huntsville or Myrtle Beach this year, it wasn’t challenging.
Weather for the 2017 Pawlooza was ideal – not too hot and despite threatening to rain, it didn’t. We didn’t get DNA tested or spray painted ‘tattooed’ like we have previous years.
Instead, we spent most of our time in the small dog off-leash park (Victor is an off-leash kind of guy) and my dog couldn’t be happier. When Victor’s happier, I’m happier.
Happy dog. Happy afternoon – it doesn’t rhyme, but does it matter?
Here’s Victor”s adventure along with a few buddies he met:
Dogtrotting.net will be at Dog Tales Festival 2017 next weekend August 26 & 27, 2017. Watch for our coverage…
Want to know about other dog festivals?
Check out our Dog Events Page, updated annually. Mark your calendars.
Been to a great dog festival this summer?
Let us know in the comments below.
[…] Other years, the temperature was kinder, and he loved the little dog leash-free run. […]
[…] Pawlooza is an annual pet festival – primarily dog (though we saw one iguana being carried around) – at a private estate near London, Ontario. Hundreds of cars inched their way onto the grassy expansive property that includes a horse stable, classic car collection garage, golf course and indoor dog agility arena. The place is big. […]
[…] leash free zone, just like he did at Pawlooza in London, Ontario last summer. But crowds and heat get him a bit […]