Day with the Dogs in Lake Villa raises funds for animal rescues

Posted July 19, 2016 1:00 am

Animal Hospital of Lake Villa submission

Zoey Smith, a German wirehaired pointer, greets Edward McGinniss, Animal Hospital of Lake Villa veterinarian, with a kiss. Courtesy of Animal Hospital of Lake Villa

Animal Hospital of Lake Villa hosted their annual fundraiser benefiting local animal shelters last month. A Day with the Dogs is an annual dog festival complete with music, food, games, caricatures, face painting, raffles and more.

The event was free and open to the public and their people-friendly dogs. Peace, Paws & Harmony offered $5 nail trims and Antioch's Ceramics 4 You had $10 tiles that were customizable with dog's paw prints. Attendees had the chance to register for $25, which got each person an event T-shirt, food tickets, raffle tickets and photo booth tickets. This year's theme was "Witches and Wizards," which was voted for by last year's crowd. This meant that the park was decorated with stone walls, witches hats and a school of wizardry feel.

The event was a huge success and was able to raise nearly $3,000 for rescues in need. This year's benefiting rescues included Petropolis Inc., Green Pup Shelter, Midwest Beagle Rescue and Cast-A-Way Rescue. The event would not have been possible without the help of local businesses who aided in the form of raffle donations or by sponsoring. This year's major sponsors included Animal Hospital of Lake Villa, Shag Bark Pet Spa & Retreat, Optimum Carpet Care, Kreiser's Pet Naturals, Pet Bath & Beyond, Seldin Security, Elite Embroidery, Figo Pet Insurance, Cricket Wireless and Edward Jones.

Animal Hospital of Lake Villa is looking forward toward next year's event, for which the crowd voted for an "Under the Sea" theme.

Lisa Velez from Round Lake Beach and her dog Tito demonstrate this year's Day with the Dogs theme of "Witches and Wizards." Courtesy of Animal Hospital of Lake Villa

Terry Kaminski, Ruger and Aaron McLin give a K-9 demonstration at Animal Hospital of Lake Villa's Day with the Dogs fundraiser. Courtesy of Animal Hospital of Lake Villa

Gabriella Gomez shows kids how the giant bubbles work. Courtesy of Animal Hospital of Lake Villa

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