HILLIARD, Ohio — WAG! Fest returns this weekend as the largest single-day dog festival in North America.
Thousands of dogs and dog lovers are expected to attend the event which will feature dozens of activities, demonstrations, an agility course and more than 80 local vendors.
The festival runs from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 27 at Prairie Oaks Metro Parks in Hilliard.
There will be trails for walks, a lake for dogs to swim in, and an ice castle to cool off in.
Additionally, there will be several local rescues and shelters with booths to help educate aspiring dog parents on the adoption process along with booths of products, services, and samples from pet retailers, veterinarians, doggie day care centers, pet photographers, groomers, trainers, and clubs and organizations dedicated to the health and well-being of canines.
Families are encouraged to bring their furry friends, and dogs can go for a swim at the Germain Subaru of Columbus Water Bark Beach off-leash swim area or enjoy the cool oasis of two and a half tons of ice at the Atlas Butler Ice Castle.
The Darby Bend Lakes Area of Prairie Oaks Metro Park is located at 2755 Amity Road in Hilliard, Ohio. WAG! Fest is produced by Event Marketing Group and hosted by Franklin County Metro Parks.
Shelters seeing surplus in animals needing homes
Brittany Thomas, the director of marketing at Columbus Humane Society, said there have been more than 11 million dogs acquired by families in the last two years during the pandemic.
“People usually adopt a dog every 10 years. So, the fact that we had such a surge of people adopting over the last two years means there are not a lot of people in the community adopting dogs,” Thomas said.
Thomas said they are also seeing an uptick in people giving up their dogs.
“So we're seeing 6% more intake than we are adoption,” Thomas said.
This is also a major problem at the Humane Society of Madison County.
“Everybody is overwhelmed by how many animals are coming in,” said Meg Werner, the executive director of the organization.
Werner said in the last seven years that she’s worked at the shelter, there has never been a waitlist to take in furry friends. However, this year, there are 17 dogs on the waitlist. She said the economic state of local families is a huge contributing factor. People can no longer afford to care for their beloved canines.
“Because the shelters are so full, they are letting the animals, they are just taking them and letting them go somewhere,” Werner said.
She says WAG! Fest is the perfect opportunity to get free resources for your pets and to get counsel on what type of furry friend may be right for your family.