Dogs get day in the park at Poochella

The city of Marysville held its first Poochella event on June 5 to bring dogs and their owners out to Jennings Park.

The free event offered a variety of vendors and activities at the park.

“It’s going great. We’re fighting the weather, but there’s nothing you can do about that,” said Chris Taylor, cultural arts supervisor at the Marysville Parks, Culture and Recreation Department and the main organizer for the event.

“Everyone’s being really positive and having a good time,” he said.

Local dog owners said they enjoyed the event.

“I think it’s awesome,” said local Jocelyn Powell. “I’m glad that it’s free and anyone can participate."

The event allowed dog owners a day out to meet each other.

“We haven’t been to an event in a long time because of COVID so it was nice to get [our dog] out,” said local dog owner Amanda Eagan. “We got him slightly before COVID so he hasn’t been able to socialize a lot."

Eagan also said she liked to see all of the vendors at the event.

“I like the vendors, and we also have some old friends we haven’t seen in forever at Old Dog Haven so it was nice to see them,” she said.

Organizations and vendors at the event ranged from adoption groups to health and food options.

“There’s a real good cross section of vendors in terms of health for dogs, fun for dogs, safety for dogs and activities for dogs. I couldn’t be happier with how diverse the selection of vendors is,” said Taylor. “The dog owners are getting all this information and some goodies and treats."

At the top of every hour there were events like a costume display, a trick contest and an eating contest.

“It was a lot of fun. I’m looking forward to next year where we could have more participants and more prizes to give away, but for an initial event it went really well,” said Taylor. “A couple of months ago I was asked to put together an event involving dogs and that was pretty much my instruction."

Taylor added, “I’m a huge dog lover myself so just to see dogs out getting to meet other dogs is a lot of fun."

The event may return next year.