Dogs will be the guests of honor Saturday during the “Wag Fest” celebration in Reston.
At the event, scheduled for 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., dog lovers will have the opportunity to, among other activities:
- Learn about the county’s nine dog parks and find out about opportunities to serve as a volunteer dog park monitor
- Visit with search and rescue dogs from Fairfax County Fire and Rescue’s Virginia Task Force 1
- See a police K9 unit demonstration
- Treat their dogs to handmade doggie treats
- Get a lesson in dog park etiquette and speak with service dog trainers
- See the latest in doggie goods from local vendors of dog merchandise and services
- Purchase a dog license
Among the presenters will be the Fairfax County Animal Shelter, Weber’s Pet Supermarket, Gordon’s Grill and Off-Leash K9 Training LLC.
The free event will be held both inside and outside the North County Governmental Center (1801 Cameron Glen Drive). For more information, call 703-324- 8662 or visit the event’s Facebook page.
Nearly 50 puppies who were rescued from a Chantilly pet store last fall are now healthy and ready for permanent homes, says staff at the Fairfax County Animal Shelter.
The dogs were taken from Dreamy Puppy in late November after Animal Control officers had received multiple complaints from citizens about the health of the puppies in the store, Fairfax County Police told NBC4 at the time.
Officers removed between 46 puppies from the store and took them to a veterinarian to be examined. The Dreamy Puppy location in Chantilly appears to now be closed.
The puppies have since been given medical care and have been living in foster homes. The county animal shelter said on its Facebook page yesterday that the dogs are now ready to go to homes. But getting to this point did not happen without a legal battle.
“After months of court hearings and testimony from expert witnesses, we are thrilled to announce that the court has awarded custody of all 46 puppies to Fairfax County,” shelter staff wrote. “These foster families have been caring for these puppies for more than five months, and it has truly taken a village. Some of the puppies required extensive medical care, and we are grateful to have been able to provide it.”
“The fosters have cared for the puppies like part of their families, providing transportation to the shelter for regular and routine exams and vaccinations, seeing to the puppies’ everyday needs, and most of all providing invaluable love and socialization during a formative time in these puppies’ lives.”
Some of the puppies have been adopted by their foster families. However, a number of pups are still looking for homes. Those pets will be available for adoption beginning Tuesday.
Read more about animal adoption on Fairfax County Animal Shelter’s website.
Yoga enthusiasts: Fairfax County has something different than down dog for you.
The county is hosting a Yoga with Cats class Saturday at the Fairfax County Animal Shelter.
The 9 a.m. class is free, but you must register in advance. Bring your own mat. The shelter will provide the cats.
The Fairfax County Animal Shelter is located at 4500 West Ox Rd. in Fairfax.
Photo courtesy of Fairfax County
At the Fairfax County Animal Shelter, a black or orange cat (or a mixture of both) is waiting for you.
The shelter — which has reached maximum cat capacity — says adoption fees will be half off for all “Halloween-colored” cats (including all cats with even a speck of orange or black) through Saturday, Oct. 31.
Cat adoption fees usually run $50-175, depending on age of the cat.
On Saturday, visitors will pull a rubber duckie out of the pool to see what their adoption fee discount will be on any other shelter animals. The discount will be a minimum of 50 percent, but pull the right duckie and your adoption fee could be waived entirely.
Also on Saturday, kids (and adults) can decorate a felt ghost to take home or hang at the shelter, and kids in costume can pull a treat from the prize bucket.
For more information, call 703-830-1100 or visit the shelter online.
