Dog Days of Hollister will be held at Dunne Park May 22 from 10
a.m. to 4 p.m.
It is the second year the Hollister Dog Owners group, along with
the Gavilan Kennel Club, will be sponsoring the dog friendly
event.
HDOG member Tammy Ballew said the idea originally came from
Brenda Weatherly, the executive director of the Hollister Downtown
Association.
”
She contacted the, at that time, brand new dog owners group to
ask us if we would look into having an event similar to the one she
had seen online from Denton, Texas,
”
Ballew said.
”
We hadn’t even had our first member meeting at that point and we
only had about five members…We started doing our research into
other events and decided to go for it.
”
Dog Days of Hollister will be held at Dunne Park May 22 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
It is the second year the Hollister Dog Owners group, along with the Gavilan Kennel Club, will be sponsoring the dog friendly event.
HDOG member Tammy Ballew said the idea originally came from Brenda Weatherly, the executive director of the Hollister Downtown Association.
“She contacted the, at that time, brand new dog owners group to ask us if we would look into having an event similar to the one she had seen online from Denton, Texas,” Ballew said. “We hadn’t even had our first member meeting at that point and we only had about five members…We started doing our research into other events and decided to go for it.”
The event serves as a chance for dog owners to get together and is a fundraiser for the group, which is working with the City of Hollister to establish a “fenced-in, off-leash dog park where all well-behaved canine citizens can exercise in a clean, safe environment without endangering or annoying people, property or wildlife.”
The event will also involve a costume contest and a doggie contest. The costume contest categories are: Best Costume Duo and Most Unique Costume. The doggie contest will include: Waggliest Tail, Owner Dog Look-a-like, Best Trick, Best Bark and Ugliest Dog.
“We will also be looking for this year’s king and queen,” Ballew said.
Participants will be asked to explain in a paragraph why they believe their dog should be crowned, Ballew said.
“Our judges will narrow them down to three for king and three for queen.”
The judges will ask for audience participation and applause for whom they think should be crowned, Ballew said. The winners for each category will receive a prize basket, and the king and queen will receive a crown and a bandana.
Gavilan Kennel club will be offering a Sanctioned “B” match during the event.
“That is basically a dog show for registered AKC dogs, but not for official AKC points,” Ballew said. “It’s more for practice and for fun. They will be holding the match starting at 1 p.m. and people can register the day of the event at the front gate.”
The event is only open to AKC-registered dogs, but all dogs can participate in the Canine Good Citizenship testing.
Tickets are $3 for adults, or $2 with a donation of dog food (unopened only). Children 12 and under are free. Well-behaved dogs six months and older are welcome. Dogs should be on a maximum six-foot leash (no retractable leashes allowed.) Dogs need proof of a rabies vaccination to attend.
For more information, visit www.thehollisterdog.webs.com.
