Howl-A-Day Jubilee pet festival set for Nov. 17 in North Naples

Howl-A-Day Jubilee is scheduled for Veterans Community Park located at 1895 Veterans Park Dr. in Naples on Saturday Nov. 17, 2007 from 2 p.m. to 7 p.m.

The event's activities include a 2:30 p.m. Adoption Show, 3 p.m. Costume Competition, 3:30 p.m. Pet and Owner Relay Games, 4 p.m. Live Pet Psychic Reading, 5 p.m. Adoption Show and 5:30 p.m. Pet & Owner Look-a-Like Contest. Other activities include pet photography, low-cost micro chipping clinic by Animalife Veterinary Clinic, socializing and K-9 Search and Rescue Demonstrations.

Collier County Domestic Animal Services (DAS) is excited to host this exciting pet celebration. The event is a fundraiser for the DAS Donation Trust Fund. The Trust Fund pays for the emergency medical care of pets and officer training.

Domestic Animal Services Director Margo Castorena and Collier County Public Services Division Public Information Coordinator Camden Smith developed the idea for Howl-a-Day Jubilee after the shelter rescued a dog named Hope in February 2005, who nearly starved to death. DAS put an SOS call out to the public for donations to help save and Hope and she is now happy and healthy living with a Marco Island family.

In an effort to be more proactive, DAS developed Howl-A-Day Jubilee to raise the public’s awareness of the plight of homeless pets.

Each year, the shelter cares for 8,500 plus animals including livestock. Last year, 3,500 animals were adopted, returned to their owners or sent to rescue organizations from the public animal shelter. DAS is located at 7610 Davis Blvd. in Naples.

“We need the community and want the community involved in saving a pet’s life, because all live beings deserve a second chance,” Castorena said.

Pet lovers and owners are invited to Howl-A-Day Jubilee where they can shop til they drop for the holiday season and pamper their pooches. And all that fun will help animals who need extra help before they can go into adoption - this event literally saves pets lives.

Paws, Claws and Tails owner Carol Gold was a vendor at last year’s Jubilee and plans to return again this year, because the event is the only pet festival in Collier County. “I met many new customers last year, but what was so fantastic was seeing people cherishing not only their own animals, but the pets from the DAS shelter as well,” Gold said. Paws, Claws and Tails specializes in pet apparel and organic pet foods and is located Bonita Springs.

With pet owners spending more than $41 billion a year on their four-legged friends, DAS is hoping that will lead to donations to save homeless pets in Collier County.

“To create a buzz around the event, we are dedicating an entire Happy Tails TV show in November to showcase only pets available for adoption at the Jubilee,” said Happy Tails host Camden Smith.

“Happy Tails is our best resource for event promotions along with our media partners and event sponsors.”

Event sponsors include: WINK 96.9 radio, Naples Dog Magazine, Vista Semanal newspaper, Florida Dog Magazine, Florida Feline Magazine, Family Magazine, Animalife Veterinary Clinic and, Naples Social Action Organization, Wild Oats Supermarket and Pollo Tropical Restaurant.

Last year, $4,400 was raised and this year’s goal is $7,000.

“We hope to exceed our $7,000 goal, because we want to make a difference and hopefully our goals will generate community interest in the event so that pet lovers feel appreciated, have fun and are self-motivated to help,” Castorena said.

For information visit http://www.collierpets.com or call Camden Smith at (239) 252-5326.

© 2007 marconews.com. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.