Dogs and their owners packed Mooseheart Child City & School near Aurora on Sunday afternoon for Anderson Animal Shelter’s second annual Pets-a-Palooza Pet Parade and Festival presented by the Petco Foundation.
“Pets-a-Palooza this year exceeded expectations,” said Holly Alcala, the shelter’s director of development. “The weather was fantastic, and the crowds were great.”
The Pet Walk and Parade ran twice. It was headed by Smoke, a 10-year-old beagle mix that was adopted from the shelter six years ago by Jason and Jessica Parthun of St. Charles. Smoke received the most votes to become the 2016 Pets-a-Palooza Spokespet.
“Last year, we had an attendance of over 3,000 people,” said Beth Drake, the shelter’s executive director. “We far surpassed that number this year, and we met our fundraising goal of $40,000. We had over 60 vendors, and not all of them were pet-related. The parking was wonderful. Mooseheart is a great partner.”
Free pet contests were held in order to determine the Best Trick, Best in Show, Pet/Owner Look-Alike, and Best Costume.
Hannibal, a 195-pound Great Dane owned by Tammie Krein of Plainfield, won First Place in Best of Show.
Sally, a rescue dog found on the streets of Aurora last November and now owned by the Cromer family in Sugar Grove, won Third Place in Best of Show.
Two demonstration areas offered the chance to learn about dog agility, bonding with pets, dog grooming and canine safety tips. Attendees could visit the kissing booth where adoptable dogs and puppies bestowed kisses or the pet portrait booth where professional photographer Andrew Rogers took pictures of pets for $10 each.
Anderson Animal Shelter and other shelters brought dogs and puppies to Pets-a-Palooza so that people could adopt them.
There was also a foster pet and family reunion booth where people and their dogs could reunite with foster caregivers and littermates. This year marked Anderson Animal Shelter’s 50th anniversary.
Rayann Sanchez of DeKalb, foster coordinator at Anderson Animal Shelter, was delighted when Kali, a hound mix that celebrated her first birthday this month, leapt into Sanchez’s arms in the reunion booth. Kali is owned by Elgin resident Rondee Kallas.
Sancy Riffle of Sycamore said that she has fostered 309 dogs since June 2011. She started fostering dogs from Anderson Animal Shelter in December 2014.
“Fostering animals is an absolute joy,” Riffle said. “I have fostered pregnant dogs and watched puppies born in my house. You never know what they will look like until they get older. They change a lot as they grow.”
Dr. Stephanie Boehm of ChiroHealth Animal Wellness is a licensed chiropractic physician and certified veterinary spinal manipulative therapist. She told attendees how animal chiropractic is a holistic approach to health care for pets which analyzes and treats dysfunctions of the spine and joints. Just like chiropractic care for people, it is centered around the nervous system.
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“This was my second year at Pets-a-Palooza,” Boehm said. “I have volunteered to treat dogs and cats at Anderson Animal Shelter for the past year and a half. I help dogs with injuries feel better. The shelter takes good care of their animals. They also have a behavior specialist.”
According to its website, Mooseheart is a home and school for children in need from infancy through high school.
Anderson Animal Shelter is a charitable organization that does not receive any federal or state funding. It advocates for the compassionate and humane treatment of homeless, stray and unwanted companion animals through direct care, humane education and community outreach programs.
The shelter and Mooseheart are in contact throughout the year. Drake said that puppies from the shelter are brought to Mooseheart every week for socialization with the children. Groups of children from Mooseheart also attend Critter Camp sessions which are held at the shelter during the summer.
The next big event for Anderson Animal Shelter is their 31st annual “A Night to Paws” Dinner and Auction, from 5 to 10 p.m. Nov. 12, at The Q Center in St. Charles.
For information, contact the shelter at 1000 South La Fox Street, South Elgin, IL 60177, (847) 697-2880; www.andersonanimalshelter.org.
Denise Moran is a freelance reporter for The Courier-News.