Pampered pets get spa treatment

As Jake lies on the table, an expert masseuse works his muscles.

His eyes stare off in the distance.

He appears content, and even a little bit of a smile seems to creep onto his face.

The kneading at the hands of the expert helps him take a breather. And he deserves it. Jake, a 3-year-old Dwarf German Shepherd with no hair beyond his neck, began the day by walking a parade and winning a best costume contest in Batavia.

He dressed as Eeyore, and Jake, a very rare dog that has two normal German Shepherd parents, is now relaxing at Saturday's first Luke Laudolff Pet Carnival at the Geneva PetCo.

"It's fun to get him around other dogs and be around other dog people," said Jake's owner, Donna Hertel of Elgin.

The first carnival, which honors a 10-year-old boy who drowned in Michigan in 2007, featured several attractions and ways to pamper pets like Jake. The event had a masseuse, animal communicator, a caricature artist and pet contests.

Hertel said the event was bigger than she had anticipated.

"It's more than I expected from the description we found online," she said.

All proceeds from raffles and donations will go to Anderson Animal Shelter in South Elgin, where Luke volunteered frequently.

The shelter had adoptable kittens and dogs on hand. Executive Director Sarah Hill said the event's organizers and the attendees showed the counterbalance of the horror stories shelters sometimes hear about animals' lives as pets.

"Working at a shelter, you see the worst and the best of people," she said. "You see, unfortunately, some people who aren't serious about their commitment to the animals or don't care for them properly. It's always sad. But the sadness goes away quickly for us because we're just glad we're there to help."

Luke's mother, JoAnne Laudolff, said her son rarely met an animal he didn't want to pet or ask questions about.

While JoAnne liked animals, she said the real connection didn't start until her son showed such a strong interest.

She said he always helped out animals whenever he could and that he would have loved the pet carnival. "That's what he was here for," she said. "He had such a connection to the animals. He would have said this was very cool. He would be very pleased that it's helping (the shelter)."