Printer Friendly Version - A Fair for Dogs in Chester

Fenway leaps through the doggie obstacle course at last year’s Chester Dog Fair. The Homeward Bound-sponsored event returns to the Chester Fairgrounds on Saturday and Sunday, Sept. 15 and 16. Photo by Kelley Fryer/The Courier

The Chester Fairgrounds will go to the dogs once again on the weekend of Saturday and Sunday, Sept. 15 and 16. It’s time for the fourth annual Chester Dog Fair and this year promises to be even bigger and better than before, with the addition of a beer and wine tent, a new lure course, doggie Olympics, a microchip clinic, and more.

The fair is put on each year by Homeward Bound Connecticut, an organization which specializes in adopting out dogs in need of forever homes. The event is a way to get local animal vendors, businesses, non-profits, resources, and owners in one place to disseminate information, talk about and enjoy animals, and have fun.

“We are super psyched about this year’s fair,” said Homeward Bound President Sue Hotkowski. “We have so many new and exciting things going on we know everyone will have a great time.”

This year the event will include a microchip clinic put on by Chester Vet on Sept. 15 from 1 to 3 p.m. and Sept. 16 noon to 2 p.m. and for the first time, there will be the addition of the beer and wine tent on Sept. 15 after the fair from 3 to 5 p.m.

“The beer and wine tent is a new addition that we are very excited about,” said Hotkowski. “People really wanted it and the beer and wine is all local, so we happy to support our community.”

At the new lure course, dogs of all ages, shapes, and sizes can chase a lure through staged obstacles. For the less athletic pups, there’s also the doggie Olympics, where dogs are asked to perform easy tricks at different vendors and receive a prize at the end.

Other highlights of the weekend event will include a visit from the Connecticut Valley Siberian Husky group on Sept. 15 at 10:30 a.m. for a special demonstration, canine good citizenship testing, nail clipping, various animal demonstrations, food and craft vendors, and more.

For the non-four-legged visitors, there will be live music both days, a bounce house for the kids, food trucks, a dunk tank, and other fun activities.

“This is always a great event and it gets bigger and bigger each year,” said Hotkowski. “Our goal is to get people with animals together in one place so they can explore and find out about local opportunities for their animals. We will have local dog walkers, pet sitters, trainers, Reiki people, invisible fence vendors, and more all in one concentrated place for people to gather information. We also want people to know what is out there for them to do and experience with their dogs like agility, lure courses, and other activities.”

She added, “We want people and their dogs to be happy, active, and to fun have together and this fair is just one way for us to help make that happen.”

Although the event supports adoption, it is not an adoption event; there will be no dogs available for adoption, however, there will be paperwork and applications as well as information and photos of available dogs on hand for people if they are interested in adding a furry friend to their family.

“We love supporting this fair and we think it is a wonderful weekend event,” said Chester Veterinary Clinic practice manager Amanda Bickford. “This is a great opportunity for people to get together with their animals and focus on fun as well as animal health.”

For more information, visit www.homewardboundct.org. The next Homeward Bound adoption event will be held on Saturday and Sunday, Oct. 13 and 14 at the Guilford Fairgrounds.