Dogs get their day (with love) at Love Your Dog Day

Shaggy or short-haired. Burly or delicate. Howlers or yippers. Dogs are humans' best friends and it's time to give some of that love back.

So, on Saturday, The Promenade at Chenal becomes a puppy play land for Love Your Dog Day, an event sponsored by Arkansas Veterinary Emergency & Specialists.

Greg Belz is the organizer for the event, which he calls "a celebration of all things dog and a day of puppy pandemonium."

Everyone is invited to bring their own dogs out — on leashes — for the celebration. And, Belz says, "If you don't have one, you can adopt one."

That's really at the core of Love Your Dog Day, Belz says.

"The purpose of it is to raise awareness and funding for people who rescue homeless dogs."

There are six animal rescue organizations involved: Out of the Woods Animal Rescue, Central Arkansas Rescue Effort for Animals, Rock City Rescue, Arkansas Chihuahua Rescue, Friends of the Little Rock Animal Village and The Humane Society of Pulaski County. All will be there with information booths and dogs ready to find permanent homes.

Those organizations and several pet product vendors will present demonstrations and games such as ring toss and spin the wheel.

There will also be a pet artists' market, merchants will have supplies of dog treats and the Thompson Library will offer puppy-theme story times.

One favorite activity will be the Celebrity Pet Wash. There, local celebrities Hilary Hunt of KARK, Kristen Kennedy of KLRT, Melinda Mayo of KATV, city directors Kathy Webb and Capi Peck and the Democrat-Gazette's food editor, Kelly Brant, will give pups the royal spa treatment, getting them all fresh and clean for their special day. There's a minimum $10 donation for the pet wash.

Admission to the event is free, but proceeds from the pet wash will be divided among the six animal rescue organizations. Indigo, a retailer at the Promenade, will donate a percentage of its sales to the cause as well.

Their hope is to find as many homes as possible for the pups who will be the guests of honor.

"The joy that dogs can bring to one's life is something we need to celebrate," Belz says. "This is the place to do it."

Weekend on 05/30/2019