Like everyone, I’m ready to bolt out of the gate this summer – already the list of pet festivals and dog-friendly events is growing on the dogtrotting.net events page. Please check out the Pet Events Canada page regularly because we’re periodically adding pet events, fundraisers, festivals, pack walks, sporting events, and anything else you can take your dog to for the day.

The U.S. page is coming back soon because festivals have come this year. (Let us know your favourite: info@dogtrotting.net)

Even though it’s not officially summer yet, we’ve already gotten a jump on pet festivities by participating in the local Dog Guide walkathon; a brewery patio fundraiser for Ladybird Animal Sanctuary (where we found Daisy); and a pet market filled with artisan pet stuff including dehydrated treats … so many homemade treats.

Here’s the dog-friendly first sunny weekend event rundown:

Walk for Dog Guides Walkathon

Walk for Dog Guides in support of the Lions Foundation of Canada was a national, yet local event taking place across Canada on May 29, 2022. Individual communities across the country organized a walkathon on the same day – people and pups followed predetermined walking routes through towns and cities in every province in Canada, including ours.

Our small-town route went passed our home, so my pup was in familiar sniffing territory. More than 150 in-person walks took place in cities and towns across the county – the most in Ontario – raising approximately $800,000 to support Guide Dog training.  

Grain and Grit Brewery Event

The always dog-friendly patio at Grain and Grit Beer Co. in Hamilton, Ontario was extra crowded with wags and wiggles on May 29, 2022, hosting Dog Day Bash, a fundraiser for Ladybird Animal Sanctuary. It’s here we discovered that first, Grain and Grit craft brewery and primarily outdoor patio is a great dog-friendly spot every day of the summer, especially on weekends when food trucks pull up. We’ll be adding it to our Dog-friendly Hamilton Guide.

Second, Fetching Studios is a new photographer in Hamilton specializing in dog photos, so of course we added a few to our collection.

Third, my pup Victoria is found of Blue Boy Organics, dog treats locally made from organic, ethically sourced ingredients. Products are inspired by rescue dogs, including my dog’s favourite Xena the Warrier beef liver inspired, according to the company, by Xena the Dog Argentino.

Pet Market and Craft Shows

Pet Lover’s Market was the highlight of Ancaster, Ontario on June 5, 2022. The market – dog-friendly – hosted small businesses selling handcrafted pet stuff from bags to bowties, snuffle mats to scented candles; and dehydrated dog treats to small-batch baked dog treats. So many dog treats.

The Pet Lover’s Market is becoming a twice a year event – if you don’t have a specific pet craft show in your town, take the dog to any outdoor craft market and make it a dog-friendly event.

If you know of any pet festival event in Canada or the U.S., please tell us at info@dogtrotting.net. We’ll be updating both pages regularly.

In the meantime, keep planning dog adventures. We are … hopefully. Two weeks in the car with the pup further than we’ve travelled in two years and my new pup’s first big adventure.

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!