Get Ready for Portland Pet Expo This October

PORTLAND, OR — The Portland Pet Expo is returning Oct. 15-16. Deaf Dogs of Portland is one of an estimated 100 Portland-area vendors who will be participating in the event. The Expo will be a great time for pet lovers, featuring discounted vaccinations, microchipping, and heart worm and flea preventatives.

“This is the seventh annual Pet Expo," Landon Brownfield, public relations and social media for Portland Pet Expo, told Patch. "There are vaccinations, free nail trims, adoptions. There’s a whole lot that we offer. And it’s a free event.”

Brownfield said that the Expo is all about getting "the word out into the community to encourage adoption."

"One hundred exhibitors are signed up now," Brownfield said. "There’s a group doing an activity area. We have someone for a bird area. It’s not just for dogs."

Horses and pigs have been at Pet Expos in the past. There will also be a costume contest at this year's event. Winners will be determined by audience applause. To enter, participants can bring their pets down to be judged at 5 p.m. on Saturday or 3:30 p.m. on Sunday.

Deaf Dogs of Oregon is one of many Portland area vendors participating in the Expo. Deaf Dogs of Oregon, founded by Gay Wakeland and Chelsea Tuning, is connected across a network of people all over the United States who “work toward a common goal, keeping deaf dogs from being euthanized.”

The group has saved dogs from kill shelters in Texas, Tennessee, Oklahoma, Arizona, Colorado, California, as well as some from Oregon. Through advocacy and training, Deaf Dogs of Oregon has re-homed over 50 deaf dogs since they started doing adoptions in 2011.

Pet-related vendors and animal nonprofits looking to sign up for the Pet Expo can call 1-800-977-3609 ext. 107.

To learn more about Deaf Dogs of Oregon, click here. And to learn more about the Portland Pet Expo, visit their website.

Photo by David Locke via flickr