Righteous event for pooches Sunrise hosts fourth annual Woofstock event
Sunrise’s Sawgrass Sanctuary was recently transformed into the ultimate canine playground during the annual Woofstock.
The fourth annual event saw hundreds of residents enjoying the festivities with their pets. Many entered their four- legged friends in such contests as gnarliest trick, which featured everything from doggie push- ups to hypnotism, grooviest threads and most righteous kisser. The event also featured obstacle courses, pet- friendly vendors, and the first 500 through the gates received a doggie bag filled with goodies.
“It’s a nice event, and everyone has a great time,” said Beth Zickar, the city’s leisure services director.
Ada Troonin, a city secretary, will never forget this year’s Woofstock. It was there that she adopted Amber, an 8- month- old retriever mix from Broward County Animal Care and Adoption. Co- workers and friends chipped in because of all her hardwork and a pet of hers died not long ago.
“She is beautiful,” she said. “Look at her; she is going to be queen of the roost. This is a great place to adopt. It’s really the best event we do.”
Megan Lassen and her husband, Jason, of Fort Lauderdale, brought their Great Danes, Anubis and Sivuca, which were a big hit with the crowd.
“They socially interact, andwe like to get the dogs around lots of people,” she said. “We try to get to as many of these kinds of events as we can. We can’t walk 10 feet without someone wanting to get a picture, but that’s whywe bring them out is for that attention and socialization.”
Heather Cartwright had to get a photo with the two dogs, which towered over her Chihuahua, Molly.
“I’m an animal lover,” Cartwright said. “It’s nice to see my dog play and interact. She likes dogs her size, but with the bigger dogs, she gets feisty. It’s a lot of fun here.”
Also there were her mother, Tracy Cart wrightRind, and her husband, Bernie Rind, who brought their sheepdog, Bentley. This was their second straight year attending.
“There seem to be a lot more vendors, which I like,” Cartwright- Rind said. “The dogs seem to be a little more laid back this year. We go to the park here every Sunday.”
Vendors sold leashes, collars, treats and other items, and rescue groups also were there.
Steven Heller attended last year and became a vendor this time around. The owner of a mall calendar kiosk gave away some of his product in exchange for donations to pet charities.
“At the end of the season, we have to cut December off and are just giving them away for donations,” he said. “… This is a great event because it has such a great mix of vendors, charities, merchandise for sale and is an overall fun event for the dogs. You have somany dog lovers out here. It’s nice to see.”