The Denton Animal Shelter Foundation’s third Tails & Trails event, scheduled from 7:30 a.m. to noon Saturday, will debut a new 10K event at the North Texas State Fairgrounds.
“We wanted to try different things this year,” said Bette Sherman, foundation chairwoman, treasurer and co-founder.
An estimated 500-plus people are registered to participate in the 5K and 10K runs as well as the 1-mile pet walk.
“We had a lot of registrations for that this year, so much that we expanded our registration period,” said Brenda Oxley, chairwoman of the fundraiser and now festival. “We [also] have a lot of teams involved.”
Online registration is already closed for the runs and walk, but organizers will still allow registration on the day of the event, as early as 6:30 a.m.
Also new this year will be a blessing of the pets scheduled before the pet walk at 8:55 a.m., a mobile DJ, a pet food drive conducted by Serve Denton and a police dog demonstration by Denton police Officer Russell Weier and his Belgian Malinois, Gino.
The festival will feature live entertainment, a pet/owner costume contest, a parade of shelter dogs, low-cost pet vaccinations and micro-chipping.
Oxley said all proceeds from the event would go toward shelter needs, support pet adoptions and fund educational programs provided by the shelter.
About 3,000 people attended last year, and the event netted more than $20,000.
“We would like to get the same, break even or get more,” Sherman said.
The Denton Animal Shelter, which is volunteer-run, has been handling more pets this year.
It has also been taking animals with urgent needs from other areas like Fort Worth and from Collin County, she said.
The shelter serves more than 5,000 pets per year, Sherman said.
Oxley said the shelter always has a need and the event helps ensure that those services are covered.
“[The shelter] benefits the community, and it is incredible that everyone is a volunteer,” Oxley said.
The festival was shortened by one hour this year.
“We saw a lot of people heading out by noon last year,” Oxley said about the change.
“By finishing by noon, that leaves the afternoon open for people to attend other community events.”
KARINA RAMÍREZ can be reached at 940-566-6878. Her e-mail address is kramirez@dentonrc.com .
ON THE WEB
www.tailstrails.com/festival-schedule
