Festival tries to put paws, people together

As the economy goes through some dog days, families take measures aimed at pushing their dollar further.

They drive less or carpool more. Food expenditures take precedence over more frivolous spending.

And some families do what might have been unthinkable in the past: They take their family pets to animal shelters.

"A lot of the shelters are filling up because people can't afford them anymore," said Ellen Wullbrandt, the rescue coordinator for the Fox Valley Animal Welfare League. "It's sad. I've seen people crying their eyes out because they were bringing their family pets in."

For the third straight year, the league will co-host "Paws in the Park," a dog festival designed to help local rescue groups and animal control groups get in touch with possible adoptive families.

The festival lasts from noon to 4 p.m. Sunday at Lincoln Park in Aurora. The park is at South Harrison Avenue just north of Prairie Street and east of Elmwood Drive.

As part of the festival, owners can bring their pets to take part in the festivities and run around in a fenced-in play area.

Along with booths featuring the rescue groups, the festival includes several contests, such as the longest hair and pet-and-person lookalike contest.

Officials will be on hand to place microchips in animals that could make the difference between a lost dog being returned to the owner and euthanasia.

The past two years, Wullbrandt said there's been a steady flow throughout the festival.

"It's been really well-received," Wullbrandt said. "I think it's just to get familiar with each other and to have a fun day with their pets."

Wullbrandt said the festival helps shelters and animal rescue groups make contacts with prospective families.

That helps lessen the number of animals filling up space in the shelters, which is the goal of the league and the festival, she said.

"There are only so many foster homes available. It's up to us to try to find more resources for them."