Do you believe in Dog? In their latest column for On The Go magazine, our Fido & Wine team of Laura Ducharme and Jen Mitchell explore the many fascinating connections between pets and spirituality, from “blessing of the animals” services to pet memorials.
On the Go is available at TTC and GO Train stations in the Greater Toronto Area. CLICK HERE to check out the current issue.
Don’t forget to catch Fido & Wine on The Pet Network every Tuesday and Saturday at 8 pm ET/PT.
Photographer Pia Ferrari joined Kalen Hayman and the rest of the PETnews team this past weekend at WOOFSTOCK, Toronto’s world-famous “doggie love-in.” Proudly billed as “the largest outdoor festival for dogs in all of North America,” Woofstock attracts tens of thousands of canine-lovers and their four-footed friends for two days of fun and festivities that include crazy contests, a fashion show, and a Ms. & Mr. Canine Canada Pageant.
Some dogs are cut out for more than just playing in parks and running around the house — they have what it takes to be trained to help people with visual or hearing impairment, physical disabilities and other medical conditions. The Purina Walk for Dog Guides is a national event, held in more than 250 communities across Canada, that raises money to help train dog guides. Each walk is organized by local volunteers, with support from Lions Foundation of Canada. This year’s national walk date was Sunday May 27
Last week, I got to cover Woofjocks with the PETnews team. While the Purina walk in Toronto didn’t have dogs jumping over hurdles or running through obstacles, there were plenty of enthusiastic canines — and their owners — on hand to enjoy a great day for a great cause. Purina president Karen Kuwahara was there with her dog Belle to do the official leash cutting, which kicked off the walk down Queen’s Quay.
All photos by Christina Dun. Follow her blog HERE.
You’ll believe a dog can fly! The doggie daredevils of Woofjocks are renowned for their spectacular displays of canine athletic prowess. So Kalen and the PETnews team paid a visit to Purina PawsWay last weekend, to catch these fabulous flying furballs in action. Flyball, freestyle disc, agility — the Woofjocks do it all. Check out the videos, just posted on thepetnetwork.tv.
Don’t forget to catch the latest PETnews videos on our YouTube channel, HERE.
Our newest PETnews contributor, blogger Christina Dun, joined Kalen, Michael, Jonelle and the rest of the team this past Saturday at Purina PawsWay Toronto as Woofjocks presented thrilling demonstration of agility, flyball, freestyle disc and other canine sports. Check out the full photo gallery HERE, and don’t forget to follow Christina’s blog HERE.
For all you Toronto dog or cat owners looking for pet-friendly places to spend a great long weekend afternoon, PawsWay is the place to be. Located at Queens Quay, it’s full of activities, exhibits and special events for both you and your pet. And on Saturday May 19, Woofjocks was the highlight of the day.
Woofjocks is an educational and entertaining variety-type show with the goal of demonstrating that dog training can — and should — be fun. It’s all about building relationships with your pet. And even though I don’t have any pets of my own, I do love being around animals, so shooting this segment for The Pet Network was pretty fun.
When we arrived, the Woofjocks show had already begun, so we got settled and started getting footage of the event. I’m not used to photographing animal events, so it was a challenge to get good shots — they were constantly moving, and I’ll admit, I do get distracted when cute dogs are around. But in the end I think it went well.
Woofjocks showcased agility, speed, and obedience, along with choreography to music and fun tricks. Following the show, Kalen and Michael set foot onto the obstacle course and shot some footage while trainers and their dogs ran around them. It was pretty entertaining to watch.
Some other great features of PawsWay are the Purina Animal Hall of Fame, a breed match station, and the Williams Fresh Cafe.
The Fido & Wine production team are busy putting the finishing touches on two new episodes of The Pet Network’s flagship series. Check out the Web exclusive clips we’ve posted for “The Luck Of The Irish” and “Dogtoberfest” — the latter airing next Tuesday April 17 & Saturday April 21 @ 8 pm ET/PT.
Behind the scenes on FIDO & WINE‘s upcoming “Luck of the Irish” episode, The Pet Network’s Melissa Auger gets schooled in the mysteries of the oyster — and gets her first taste of bivalve — courtesy of master shucker Patrick McMurray.
Join the FIDO & WINE team behind the scenes on their “Dogtoberfest” episode at Toronto’s Steam Whistle Brewing, where editor Wes Champion finds out what hops taste like before they go into making that delicious pint of beer. Prost!
A new monthly pets column by Laura Ducharme and Jen Mitchell, host and producer, respectively of The Pet Network original series Fido & Wine, makes it debut in the February issue of On the Go magazine. Congratulations, Laura and Jen! We’ll be reposting their columns here, so check back every month for more great advice and insight on living with and caring for pets.
On the Go is available at TTC and GO Train stations in the Greater Toronto Area. CLICK HERE to check out the current issue.
A small sampling of upcoming events for Canadian animal lovers:
*Toronto Cat Rescue will be holding a weekend adopt-a-thon on Saturday Aug. 6 & Sunday Aug. 7. Where: Galleria Mall Pet Valu, 1245 Dupont Street. The adoption fee is $175, which includes six weeks of free pet insurance. Call 416-538-8592 for more details.
* Canadian Guide Dogs for the Blindopens the doors of its National Training Centre near Ottawa to the public on Saturday Aug. 6 from 11 am to 3 pm. Stop by the open house for tours, demonstrations and the chance to meet present and future guide dogs. Call 613-692-7777 or email info@guidedogs.ca for more information.
* Pawlooza (above) is London, Ontario’s festival for dogs. Join 4,000 of Canada’s coolest canines at Plunkett Estate on Saturday Aug. 20 from 10 am to 6 pm for the ultimate dog party. Take your pup dock diving, get readings from a pet psychic, learn the essentials of pet first aid and more. Visit www.pawlooza.com for details.
* The annual Toronto Westie Walk and Family Fun Day takes place on Sunday Sept. 11 at Mississauga Valley Park. Highlights include a bagpiper-led walk around the park, Westie games and races, a BBQ and more. Proceeds go to support the volunteer rescue group Westies in Need. Email corrie@westiesinneed.ca or call 905-936-6691 for more info.
* Based in Barrie, Ontario, Golden Rescue is a volunteer organization that has been working for more than 20 years to help abused and abandoned Golden Retrievers. Their 10th Annual Golf “Fore” Gold fundraising tournament takes place Monday, Sept. 19 at the beautiful Hockley Valley Resort in Orangeville, Ontario. Check out www.goldenrescue.ca for more details.
If you’ve got a pet event you’d like to see highlighted on The Pet Network Web site or Facebook page, or in our email newsletter, The Scoop, just drop a comment or contact dtodd@stornoway.com.
Candice is nominated in the Environmental Awareness category for her series A Greener Toronto on Rogers TV. The Environmental Awareness award, sponsored by Toronto Hydro, “recognizes leadership in environmental education through a variety of media as well as environmentally-themed arts and cultural events.”
Presented by the City of Toronto and Green Living Enterprises, the Green Toronto Awards “recognize the individuals, organizations and companies helping to lead the way to a cleaner, greener Toronto.” The winners will be announced on April 15.
In addition to hosting Pet Central, Candice reports regularly on environmental issues as co-host of the series @issueon our sister station ichannel. Several of her best episodes from this season will be rebroadcast on ichannel April 13-15 and April 20-22 at 8 pm ET/PT.
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