Cleveland, Ohio – It was a good time of the tail during the first of Cleveland All American Pet Expowho ran from Friday to Sunday to IX Center.
Shannon Prior, owner and organizer of the Columbus Pet Expo, said that at the end of the day, she expected the total number of participants for the weekend around 10,000.
Visitors to the event adapted to pets had the chance to interact with 100 suppliers in different markets ranging from treats, toys and clothes. Some of the sellers have also brought interesting and unusual animals with which people could interact, such as capybaras, wallabies, kangaroos and reptiles – like a click turtle over 100 years old, the oldest in the country.
There were also stations to watch the dogs diving in a large swimming pool using toys to guide dogs on obstacles.
Prior, a self-written animal lover, said that there was “a little of everything”.
“It’s about getting the best and best things for your pets, but also learning,” she said. “In our reptile zones, there are small turtles of baby sulcata for sale, but there are also large sulcatas for sale there, so you really understand what you are committed to.”
“We are trying to make a big happy event here,” added Prior.
In addition to animal exhibitions and attractions, there were also animal rescue organizations during the event Prior declared to educate in different fields. For example, certain groups specialize in particular dog breeds such as collies, boxers and Golden Retrievers, but also in creatures like the skuffs.
One of the rescues included Kane mission dog rescue. Melissa Harvey, the founder of Kane, said that they were a family -based rescue although they did not yet have an installation. Harvey added that they were at the exhibition for three days.
Harvey said they had a “brilliant” experience at the exhibition and that she was very impressed. They also obtained a lot of engagement from the participants, especially on the adoption process.
The sellers were not the only ones having fun. Participants like Sue Olson de Lyndhurst, who is a dog coach, also seemed impressed by the inaugural event.
Olson said she had attended the event on Friday, returning on Sunday with her granddaughters and her 10-month Australian Labradoodle.
“My granddaughters have fun,” she said. “I love baby goats, and people were delighted to speak. It’s always good to widen your horizons.”
It was one of the many things that previously said that she hoped that people took away from this event.
“We hope that (visitors) will be able to find new things for their animals, such as better chewing, better shampoos, better dog toys, better cages, and just in a way go with a better understanding of what they already have at home,” said Prior.
The All American Pet Expo should return to the fall with more suppliers. The fall event is scheduled for October 31 to November 2, according to on the website.