Saturday dawned bright but a bit cool for the annual DogtoberFest. The annual event, which benefits St. Francis Service Dogs, was held at the St. Francis Training Center in Roanoke. The event featured face painting, a caricaturist, dog and children’s games, and much more.
Early estimates show more than 4,000 people and over 2,000 dogs attended the fundraiser.
Morgan Conner from Floyd attended DogtoberFest with her boyfriend and family. “Our family came last year and decided to bring us out.” The group also attended with Lacy, a four and a half month mini-beagle, and eight week old Hokie, a mini-mutt. Morgan says her first date with her boyfriend was to a Virginia Tech football game.
“We rescued (Lacy) from a breeder. He was not treating them right. . . And we got Hokie through foster care in Pearisburg.”
“It’s been fun, the dog games and stuff; fun for the dogs.” Lacy and Hokie even had their pictures taken for Pawcasso, where dogs can use their paws to paint a matt to surround the picture.
St. Francis Service Dogs is one of 50 accredited service dog organizations in the world.
The proceeds from Dogtoberfest will go toward raising and training service dogs for people with disabilities. It takes two years and $25,000 to train a service dog and match it with a partner. St. Francis Development Director Niki Voudren says the organization relies solely on donations, grants, and fundraisers to fulfill its mission.
St. Francis will hold its annual graduation ceremony Sunday, November 7th, from 1 to 3 p.m. at their training center. Several dogs and their partners will be recognized and the dogs will “graduate” into full time service.
By Beverly Amsler [email protected]
