Tails are sure to wag in Rebagliati Park Aug. 25 for Whistler Animals Galore’s (WAG) dog-friendly festival, WAGFest.
Festivities start with “tails and trails,” a 5.5-km, on-leash run around Lost Lake from 9 to 9:45 a.m. Pets and their parents will get in some cardio, and treats await at the finish line with swag from Happy Pets and FirstMate for the first 50 furbaby finishers.
Next, attendees should stick around for the “post-run paw-ty” between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. The events include opportunities to show off your pet’s skills and fashion sense, and owners can grab a lunch donated by Splitz Grill. The paw-ty also features face painting, local pet vendors, a raffle and an online auction.
Pets can compete for best dressed, best trick, best rescue and most agile.
Finally, everyone can stretch out the excitement with down-dog yoga, hosted by lululemon and Tina Pashumati James between 2 and 3 p.m. Mats are on hand for the first 40 humans.
Dogs (or cats) should be friendly with people and other animals and leashed.
The event fundraises for WAG’s animal shelter and will benefit all animals in the Sea to Sky, according to Peta Woolnough, executive director for WAG.
While the non-profit has a fee for service agreement with the Resort Municipality of Whistler (RMOW), which includes a building for the animal shelter and funding grants, and WAG provides animal bylaw services for the RMOW, fundraising is a critical component of serving animals in the corridor.
“Everything else we do we have to fundraise for. So, we have many critical-care cases, some long-term residents here at WAG, and we also do a lot of outreach work,” Woolnough said.
While paw-ticipants can get signed in the day of the events, preregistration is encouraged and open, with associated registration fees.
There’s also a local vet on hand from Harmony Veterinary Services and first aid is available.
While there’s no fundraising goal, each dollar counts towards bettering the lives of animals in the Sea to Sky.
Currently, the shelter has eight adult dogs in need of forever homes or fostering, seven puppies and five adult cats.
“We are busy, probably busier than we have been in a while. Adoptions are quite slow at the moment, and slow country-wide or North America-wide. We need to find these animals loving forever homes,” Woolnough said.
She added the rise in animals in need of a home stems from a surge in pet ownership during the COVID-19 pandemic. Many new owners went back to work and couldn’t care for their animals anymore.
Anyone looking to adopt, or foster can learn more about the process through WAG’s website.
