The 16th annual I Love My Dog Expo, attended by 2,600 people and nearly as many dogs March 23-24 at the Sandhills Global Event Center, raised over $35,000 for Domesti-PUPS, a nonprofit that trains and provides therapy dogs and service dogs to people with disabilities.
“The money helps us run our programs, not just train our service dogs,” said Merri Hackbart, Domesti-PUPS board president. “We have a large number of therapy teams that go out to public events at the different schools, nursing homes, hospitals, libraries and other public events that we are invited to.”
A service dog is trained in specific tasks approved by the Americans with Disability Act to help one person and is allowed in public places, Hackbart explained. A therapy dog is trained to visit and interact with many people. A therapy dog cannot go into public places unless they are open to pets.
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“We currently have a two- to three-year waiting list for our service dogs and hope to reduce that as we add trainers,” Hackbart said. “Aside from our service dogs, we are community-based and participate in many community programs. We do presentations across the state, public classes for obedience, therapy and other fun classes.”
The Expo event included an agility course, lure-chasing course, paw/lick painting and contests for dogs and their humans, a Domesti-PUPS service dog demonstration, Paw Patrol show, a Rescue Roundup that highlighted adoptable dogs and a Barn Hunt demonstration.
“The Barn Hunt is a fun way for dogs to utilize their nose for scent work,” Hackbart explained. “It allows them to use both their body and their mind searching for the rat in a safe environment.”
McKinsie Radley of Mound City, Missouri, introduced her young bernedoodle Sully to a rat in a cage at the Barn Hunt event.
“He’s a puppy. Honestly, I think he was afraid of the rat,” Radley said. “But it’s good exposure for him – not only to the Barn Hunt, but to other dogs and all the people at this event. He’s training to be a therapy dog at Fantastic Fido in Missouri. My family is part of Healing Heart Therapy Dogs in Crete, so I’m here at the Expo to support them.”
Sixty-five vendors and sponsors displayed, sold and visited with attendees about their dog, cat and home pet products and services.
Dogs of all shapes, sizes, abilities and some disabilities were at the Expo. Scout, a French bulldog, motored around the building with his front legs and two wheels that replace his immobile back legs.
“We adopted him,” said Mandy Zimmerman, who attended the Expo with her husband Derek. “We were specifically looking for a disabled Frenchie. I suspect he was born that way. Our vet says he had no injury. He has a malfunction of the spine. He’s not in any pain, and when he runs, I wouldn’t be able to catch him.”
As a 501©(3) nonprofit, most money that Domesti-PUPS receives is through donations or fundraising events such as the I Love My Dog Expo, Harkbart said. For more information or to donate to Domesti-PUPS, visit www.domesti-pups.org.