More than 500 people were expected to show at the fourth annual Woofstock, a free pet health fair run by the Clark County chapter of the American Red Cross, on Saturday at Wiggley Field in Old Reid Park.
“We want to bring awareness to pet health and raise money for disaster services in Clark County,” said Mike Larson, executive director of the Clark County Red Cross. “We typically will raise between $4,000 and $5,000. It’s a great turnout, it’s only 11 a.m. and we already have a couple hundred people.”
The event had demonstrations from veterinarians and dog trainers, booths for information and goodies and concluded with a dog show at 2 p.m.
“I’ve learned a lot about what’s available,” said Susanna Showas, who brought her 1-year-old Australian shepherd, Toby, to the park. “Like pet hospitals I can call, what to do if something happens in the middle of the night, cremation and pet therapy.”
Showas also said she thinks it’s beneficial for Toby to interact with other dogs.
Dana King and his wife Judy, co-sponsors for Woofstock, brought their newest dog Piper for the same reason.
“Interaction is good, because the more you get them interacting with other dogs and people, the better dogs they’ll be,” said Dana King, a veterinarian at Northside Veterinary Clinic.
The Kings donated the funds to build Wiggley Field almost seven years ago and speak at every Woofstock. This year, Dana King talked about therapy lasers, which speed up healing for a number of health issues.
“It’s a way to pay back our clients who support us,” King said.
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