Aliso Viejo Animal Hospital in Southern California enjoyed a beautiful day welcoming guests to the Aliso Viejo Ranch Pet Expo in 2023. They were offering free dental exams to visitors.
Visiting a veterinarian’s office is an expensive part of pet ownership. Whether it is for a life-threatening emergency or a yearly vaccination, regular veterinary care can lead some pet owners to avoid regular checkups altogether if it becomes a financial hardship.
The costs of such services add up and often leave pet owners distraught without the resources to treat an animal. It is for that reason that communities and cities organize pet expos where event-goers can see deeply discounted vaccination opportunities and more. It is much cheaper for cities to create a resource like a pet expo than to continually enforce vaccination, and spay laws.
These expos take place internationally, not just in the U.S. Every community far and wide seems to hold regular pet expos and fairs to keep the pet population healthy and in check. A quick visit to your local government offices would be the place to start researching the services available to pet owners.
Be sure to research the expo before you attend to ensure you take all necessary paperwork with you about the dog. Not every pet expo adheres to a schedule. By calling a few days before you can ensure that you will be ready for pet vaccinations, instead of waiting around for what could be hours, depending on the size of the crowds. These pet expos can be small with less than 100 people in attendance, or much larger with long waiting lines for service.
The good news is there are always plenty of pet vendors that welcome event goers. Many offer free samples of their products, or deeply discounted rates.
Pet expos are kid friendly events so be prepared to bring along the entire family. Typically there is gate charge to enter and almost always plenty of free parking. But double check with the pet expo before you leave the house.
Pet expos are a great way for neighborhood pet businesses and pet hospitals to get the word out that they welcome your business. Take advantage of the event because these usually only happen a few times per year in cities across the country and beyond.
A vendor displays her colorful handmade dog collars called Cone of Fame for animals that had surgery. You can find more information online at www.milliondogsusa.com.
In my particular county in Southern California, there are dozens of admission-free expos in the spring and summer for interested pet families. The biggest draw at each expo I’ve attended is the on-site veterinarian and animal technician services. While there are plenty of vendors for pet products, training aides, and food choices, people appeared to gravitate for sharply reduced annual pet vaccinations; a requirement in most locales. Free dental checkups are also a familiar sight.
Kristine Ford of PetWants.com/southcounty offered a table full of her healthy treats for dogs. Vendors at community expos are a great way to get introduced to new and exciting products, many offering free samples.
I’ve attended dozens of pet expos as a volunteer for my local animal services department. I’m amazed at the amount of information about dogs, cats, rabbits and more at some pet expos. Even if you don’t plan to buy anything pet expos are a great opportunity to ask questions about products so you have the information for the future.
Community-driven pet expos are a must-see for all pet owners no matter why you attend. As I mentioned these family-friendly events offer plenty of opportunities to interact with like-minded people, provide discounted products and services, and help keep consumer spending local so small businesses will thrive.
Check with your local city hall to find the one nearest you.
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