COLTS NECK – Animal lovers from around the nation came together at the Bucks Mill Recreation Area Colts Neck Pet Fair Saturday, May 23 and Sunday, May 24 to celebrate the pets that they love, to compete in intense pet competitions and to bring awareness to serious issues like pet adoption and animal abuse.
The fair, which was put together by the Furry Friends Foundation, a local charity founded by CEO Nannette Lipinski of Westchester County, N.Y., acts as both a fun day at the park as well as a way for animals to be adopted and rescued.
“We put on these type of events and we invite lots of different rescues to bring animals for adoption and also for them to raise money,” Lipinski said.
The fair saw people from all parts of the nation come so that their dogs could compete in the lure coursing and the dock diving events.
Stephanie Markgraf came all the way from Fredericksburg, Va. so her dog Kai, the 5 year-old championship mix breed in lure coursing, could par take in the lure coursing and diving competitions.
“We come up here all of the time from Virginia,” Markgraf said. “Colts Neck is beautiful. Bucks Mills Park is great.”
There was also a “Doggie Fun Zone” obstacle course set up, which saw dogs of every breed taking their turn to chase a flag through the jumps and hurdles of the course with their owners.
While some dogs proved victorious, others, like 7-year old golden doodle Lucky, found the course to be more challenging.
“You cannot teach this dog new tricks apparently because he failed epically,” said Cathy Smythe of Colts Neck, Lucky’s owner.
A plethora of booths dedicated to pets were lined up and down the recreation area. One of the most popular booths was Double D’s Doggie Delights, a new business star ted by Donna Brandys of Howell who makes homemade dog treats in flavors like sweet potato and tomato spinach out of all-natural ingredients.
While the pet fair had a primary focus on booths and events dedicated to dogs, pets of all shapes and sizes were represented over the weekend.
Bill Middleton, also known as “NJ Bird Man,” brought his Exotic Bird Show to the fair, which proved to be popular among the large crowd. He and his parrots Polly, Holly, Colly, Molly, and newborn parrot Olly wowed the spectators as they spread their colorful wings and performed intricate tricks.
“I realized how smart they were, so I took them to school in Arizona to do bird shows,” said Middleton, whose birds have been featured on Animal Planet.
One of the highlights of the event was the Pigs Placement Network pen, where six month-old potbellied pigs Valentino and Dolly won the hearts of fairgoers throughout the weekend.
The Pigs Placement Network, located out of Rushland, Pa., is a non-profit volunteer pet pig rescue and adoption service that provides care and adoption services to over 100 pigs, many of whom have been kicked out of their homes after their owners saw them getting to big after buying them as “teacup pigs,” a myth that the organization is trying to bust.
“Rescues are overflowing with pet pigs because they grow bigger than thirty pounds and people discard them,” said Sheryl Rotondi, the special events coordinator of the organization. “We had a pig that was found on the side of the Pennsylvania turnpike, we’ve had pigs that were brought to us from the streets of Philadelphia because someone just opened the door and let them go.”
The Furry Friend Foundation of Monmouth County plans on having similar events being held in the future. Net proceeds from the event helped benefit both the Furry Friend Foundation and the Make-A-Wish Foundation of New Jersey.
