Canine festivals that will have dog

Pitous lovers should prick up their ears: they are invited with their truffle companion to various festivals and gatherings taking place in Quebec during the summer. Here are three, including a brand new three-day event in Montreal.

Make your mark in the metropolis

Doggies tired of the daily routine and the local dog park will have plenty to entertain themselves under the canines in the coming months. In addition to the return of the usual festivals that have been rolling around for a few years, a newcomer will make a sensational debut in Montreal. Called Woopaw Fest, the event will run from June 30 to July 2 in Griffintown – the exact location will be announced in May.

All the threads are not yet definitively attached, but an overview of the activities can already be drawn up by the organizers: there will be gatherings of purebred dogs, a market area, dog trainers and NPOs, and gourmet treats also intended for both to canids and to their masters. “The merchant space will bring together local traders and SMEs as much as possible, with food, dog clothes, bandanas, collars, harnesses, mattresses, dog trainers, people who will give a minimum of knowledge on what to do and not to do so that everything happens safely, ”lists Tatiana Tomaszewski, general manager of Woopaw Fest.

It was under the impetus of Thien Vu Dang, instigator of various Montreal festivals such as Yatai or Mapp, as well as recent dog gatherings, that the project was set up. Successful first attempts had already been launched, in particular parades of corgis with their owners, bringing together more than 200 adorable specimens, or gatherings of shibas and akitas on the occasion of Japan week in Montreal.

“We expect to receive a thousand visitors a day during the event, but we hope to have more,” said M^me Tomaszewski, whose dog Reine, a Pomeranian, will sneakily paw at the festival site.

Where: in the Griffintown district of Montreal
When: June 30 to July 2, 2023
Admission: $5 for the public, $3 for dog owners

Laval returns with its festival

Summer will be far from over for festive dogs, since the 4^e edition of the Rendez-vous canin, which will be held on August 12 and 13 at the Center de la nature de Laval, will give them the opportunity to show off with their summer fur. On the menu, agility course, obstacle games, lure races, demonstrations, local toy, accessory or treat merchants, professionals, microchip clinic… The organizers, who say they have welcomed nearly 20,000 visitors and canine enthusiasts during the previous editions, also promise new features and more gray areas for doggies this year.

Where: Laval Nature Center
When: August 12 and 13, 2023
FREE ENTRANCE

Dog sports in the region

The regions are not left out, with the return of the Grand Canin Festival in Dégelis, a small town in Bas-Saint-Laurent, where some twenty ethical breeders who are members of the Canadian Kennel Club will be present, alongside 25 commercial and professional stands. . Conferences of dog handlers will be offered, and many canine sports will be put forward. “Sheep herding will unfortunately not be back this year, but we will have harness sports, rat sports, agility, frisbee, and lure racing. We hope to bring aquatic jumps next year,” explains Marcel Morin, president of the organizing committee.

For information, harnessed sports involve traction (from a sled, a bicycle, a runner or a skier, for example), while rat sports consist of having the dog unearth a tube where the a rodent. As for the water jump, it is a kind of long jump with landing in a pool. Dog handler Katherine Langlais, the first woman to win the Can-Am Crown race, a 400-kilometre event in Maine, will be the guest of honor at this 4^e editing. On the Friday night before the festival, a happy hour and a purebred dog fashion show are also planned.

Where: in Dégelis, in Bas-Saint-Laurent
When: August 26 and 27, 2023
Admission: $10 per day for adults, $5 for children, free for children under 6.