VOLCANO - Mountwood Park once again went to the dogs and their owners on Sunday.
Around 350 people and their canine friends came to Mountwood Park for the fourth annual Woof Fest, which featured a number of demonstrations and vendors geared for dog owners and their beloved pets.
Rain in the later afternoon tapered off the crowds, but organizers felt the event was still a huge success.
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Photo by Brett Dunlap
Xander, a Great Dane, was one of many dogs who attended the fourth annual Woof Fest event Sunday at Mountwood Park with their owners.
"It was going really great," said Peggy Squires, president of Friends of Mountwood and chairman for the Woof Fest. "We were really busy, then the rains put a little bit of a damper on everything.
"However, it was really crowded."
The event featured demonstrations involving an obstacle course to show obedience and agility put on by the Parkersburg Obedience and Training Club as well as dockdog demonstrations where dogs jumped into the lake and were judged on their jumping distance and height as well as how fast they could retrieve.
There was also a Poker Run, dog blessings, a costume contest, a Little Miss and Junior Miss Woof Fest Pageant and more. A hot dog bobbing event was one of the most popular activities of the day for both the animals and their owners.
"It seems like it gets a little bit bigger every year," Squires said.
The Woof Fest was originally organized to help pay the expenses in putting in a dog park at Mountwood Park. Since the dog park's opening, it has been such a success, the annual event now helps with the upkeep of the park as well as putting in new features.
Many people went back and forth Sunday between the festival ground near the marina and the dog park, Squires said.
"People have been going back and forth," she said.
The people who came out got to spend time with their pets and got to have some fun.
"Their dogs get to do an activity with them and we have a lot of dog activities going on," Squires said. "We have a lot of vendors around and a lot of neat things going on for the dogs and their owners."
Vendors included groomers, pet stores, kennels, pet photographers and more. One vendor was Lilly of the Valley Elite of Parkersburg, a business specializing in dog bandanas, collars, doggie skullcaps and more.
Owner Kristin Sigman liked being able to get out and interact with potential customers. Her business is home-based and does Internet sales as well as going out to festivals and other shows.
"We just started our business this year and it was really nice to get out to an event where people are out with their dogs to be able to try on the bandanas and collars," she said. "People can actually see our products on their dogs so they know what size to get.
"It has been fun seeing and meeting all of the people with all the breeds of dogs they have."
The people who came out really relished the chance to spend time with their beloved pets. This is the third year Karen Pugh, of Little Hocking, came out with her dog Tally, a lab mix.
"We just love the dogs," she said. "We like to come out and have a good time with our animals.
"It is a fun day."
Betty Vannoy brought her rescue dog, Callie, out to the event. Many of the vendors gave things away for pet owners and there were contests. Vannoy liked seeing the different costumes people dressed their dogs in.
"I like to come out and see the different breeds of dogs they have," she said.
Sam Bruni, of Vienna, brought out his Great Dane, Xander, to the event.
"We came out last year and really enjoyed it," he said. "It is good to see the local businesses and know about them."
Bruni wanted to see what was available for dogs and get contact information so he could contact them if needed.
Also, the event allowed Xander to interact with other dogs and play in the dog park.
"It lets them socialize," Bruni said.
Joyce Delancey, of Belpre, had been out to the event before and had a good time. She brought her chocolate lab, Doc, as well as her friend Laurinda White and her boxer, Coia.
"We had fun and he just enjoyed himself," Delancey said of Doc.
White said Delancey spoke so highly of the event.
"She had such a nice time, I decided to bring my pup out," she said.
Despite the rain, both dogs had a good time.
"Their tails haven't quit wagging," White said.
