Top Dogs Paw Festival paws their way into community’s hearts
Local dogs and families gathered at Top Dogs Boutique to celebrate their annual Top Dogs Paw Festival. The event promoted adoption, healthy doggie diets, and love for all canines of every shape and size. Contests, dog food samples, and food trucks created a fun environment for humans and their pups to enjoy the day.
October 4, 2018
Top Dogs Boutique celebrated their 8th annual Top Dogs Paw Festival on Sunday, September 30. Dog organizations and adoption centers from the Kennesaw, Acworth, and Marietta communities gathered to promote adoptions, healthy food for the mutts, and the boutique itself. The highly anticipated contests consisted of best trick, fashion show, and best kisser. The event shed light on the epidemic of dogs in need of caring homes which still reside in shelters all over the country.
Well-known adoption centers and food brands for dogs, including Mostly Mutts, Farmina, Rescue Me Georgia, All Provide, and Southern Journey Dog Rescue attended the festival in hopes of encouraging others to volunteer with the organizations. They commit to rescuing animals weekly from county shelters and rehabilitating them.
“Last year we adopted over 600 dogs, and we hope to do the same or even better this year. It’s great to help rescue dogs, and we love giving help to those pets who need love and care,” Mostly Mutts volunteer Sandi Edelson said.
The winner of the best trick, Tessy, wooed the crowd with her nose. Her owner placed a treat on her snout as she stood still, and with a command, Tessy flipped the treat into the air and caught it with her mouth.
Tessy fought the urge to eat the tasty treat her owner placed on her nose. The audience sat on the edge of their seats, waiting to see if Tessy would blow the crowd away. With a snap of a finger, she devoured the delicious snack and a round of applause filled the air, winning Tessy the 1st place spot.
Oliver the Dapper Pug, stole the crown for most fashionable. The elegant sweater vest and yellow bow-tie complimented his saucy hat and sunglasses. His family’s two hour drive to the festival ended up well worth the time as he won a $50 gift card to any Top Dogs Pet Boutique location.
Oliver the Dapper Pug, winner of the fashion show, stood alongside the runner-ups of this contest to take pictures and commemorate the win. As the audience adored his charisma and style, Oliver happily posed in his owner’s arms to show off his chic outfit.
Last but not least, the pup who won the best kisser contest pulled through with an astounding 86 licks to her owner’s face. This contest required as many kisses out of pure love as possible. Bribing the dog with a face of peanut butter or other food called for disqualification.
While most of the dogs kissed their owners about 50 times, winner of the best kisser contest placed 86 wet kisses on her owner’s face. Though small and delicate, she beat the other dogs with her fast tongue and impressed the crowd.
Local rescues, including those which rehome cats as well as dogs, receive all of the proceeds from the Top Dogs Paw Festival. The funding helps shelters buy food, supplies, vet care, and transportation from shelters facing overpopulation.
The pet food vendors must pay a fee to reserve a spot in the event, and Top Dogs selects vendors meticulously, only choosing locally grown products with only the best ingredients for the pets. The rescue vendors must qualify as a 5O1C3, meaning they do not make any profit off the services they give and only use the money they raised to help animals.
“Too many pets are euthanized every year and too many pets are in kill shelters. We can help do better. This event is all about the animals, there is a huge community of pet lovers in Kennesaw and we just want to spread the love,” the owner of Top Dog Boutique Taylor Campbell said.
