Reptiles must be the new rabbits this Easter. An unprecedented number of vendors, mostly snake breeders, were at the  Canadian Pet Expo this holiday weekend (April 3-5, 2015) at the International Centre in Mississauga, Ontario. Visitors could take home almost any variety of baby snakes for $75 and up.

Fortunately, a reptile rescue organizations was nearby reminding people of what can happen to exotics – such as the sunken-shelled turtle on display – when they are not properly cared for and fed correctly.

Yet this show is all about pets (It was previously called The All About Pet Show) and not only exotics. Dogs dominated the venue, as both participants and spectators. Breeder’s row featured Kennel Club Breeds, as usual. But a new company has the reins of the event this year, and there are a few changes. (Check out recent versions of this show here)

First, pets are welcome, so dogs strolled the exhibitor floor with everyone else. Other than the purebred participants in the PetValue Cat Show, I saw only one visiting cat. He was comfortable, friendly and clearly used to riding his people mom’s shoulder through crowds.

Second, presentations were fewer, and no schedule was visible or distributed (other than online). Primarily, Ultimate Air Dogs Canada dock diving competitors jumped off a landing into the water throughout the day, and Woofjocks made an appearance in the ring between the bleachers each day. Promoting reward training, Woofjocks dogs (family pets) and their handlers run agility courses and jump obstacles – the latter event culminates with Pot Roast, a stubby-legged and crowd-pleasing English bulldog, crashing through the final seven-poll high jump.

Highlights of the show included some new, and returning, favourites:

• The Ontario Cavy Club Show and Competition exhibiting a variety of cute guinea pigs
• The Dog Groomers Association of Ontario sponsored the Rescue Rodeo Grooming Competition featuring shelter dogs available for adoption after their new looks are complete
• A 45-foot trailer of snakes, lizards and crocodile from Reptilia reptile museum in Vaughan, Ontario.
•  Pilots N Paws Canada,  a new organization that recruits private pilots with planes (and others) to help transport rescue animals from crowded shelters to those with space (watch for more about this organization on dogtrotting.net)
• The Pet Network in Canada, a cable channel expanding its reach and promoting its new show, Talent Hounds
• Hands On Exotics is popular with kids because where else can you pet a wallaby? This company rescues exotic pets such as lemurs, foxes, and tropical birds then shows them off at schools, camps, and birthday parties.

Check out the Events Page of dogtrotting.net to see what other fun pet-themed events are coming up this summer, or watch for my next post listing as many as I could find in Ontario.

Writer bio: Sherri Telenko has been a professional writer for decades and a travel writer for the last two. She’s a member of TMAC (Travel Media Association of Canada) and Dog Writers Association of America and travels almost weekly with her canine companion, Victoria. Contact Sherri at dogtrotting.net here. All written content is original, written by a person, and based on experience and research. Please subscribe!