It was a rainy Saturday morning so I decided to drop in at the pet show going on at the Rhode Island Convention Center right here in Providence.
In fact it's the 15th Annual Rhode Island Pet show and The International Cat Show, sponsored by Petco and the PetCo Foundation and coordinated by the folks at Osborne Jenks Productions.
It's been lots of years since I had a pet -- dogs were my thing -- and am astounded at what an industry owning a pet has generated today. The place was packed and there was plenty of queueing to get inside.
Anyway, as I entered the exhibition hall, on the right hand side I noticed several rings where some of the "Best in Show" kinds of things going on, dogs being put their paces in front of judges, that sort of thing.
There was also a runway where different breeds were brought out by their owners while the announcer explained each breeds unique characteristics. Fascinating.
Anyway, the dog judging was on one side of the exhibition hall with the cat judging on the opposite side, safely divided by the several aisles of vendors. (photo below: cat judging.)
And I mean vendors selling everything from caskets and burial plots for your pet (www.angelview.com in Middleboro, Massachusetts) to pet food, pet clothes, pet toys and of course pets themselves. (photo below: vendor showing a green vine snake.)
In fact, there were several exhibitors talking about the advantages of having snakes for pets -- and their snakes were a big draw to be sure. Frankly I could see one advantage of owning a 20-foot python; you wouldn't hear that next-door neighbor's yappy little toy poodle for long. . .
There was also a group demonstrating why ferrets make great pets.
One of the more unique "vendors" at the show was a couple from New York City urging people to join www.barkthevote.org, an organization that is seeking to get pet owners out and walk their dogs to the polls and vote! (photo below: Ella McGuire and her two dogs Schmitty and Pudge from barthevote.org)
In other words, pretty much everything you could possibly want or need for your pet or to help you choose a pet was on display at the show.
Actually it was pretty cool. Even if you didn't own a pet. There were lots of happy folks hanging about and so many stories. . .
In fact it's the 15th Annual Rhode Island Pet show and The International Cat Show, sponsored by Petco and the PetCo Foundation and coordinated by the folks at Osborne Jenks Productions.
It's been lots of years since I had a pet -- dogs were my thing -- and am astounded at what an industry owning a pet has generated today. The place was packed and there was plenty of queueing to get inside.
Anyway, as I entered the exhibition hall, on the right hand side I noticed several rings where some of the "Best in Show" kinds of things going on, dogs being put their paces in front of judges, that sort of thing.
There was also a runway where different breeds were brought out by their owners while the announcer explained each breeds unique characteristics. Fascinating.
Anyway, the dog judging was on one side of the exhibition hall with the cat judging on the opposite side, safely divided by the several aisles of vendors. (photo below: cat judging.)
And I mean vendors selling everything from caskets and burial plots for your pet (www.angelview.com in Middleboro, Massachusetts) to pet food, pet clothes, pet toys and of course pets themselves. (photo below: vendor showing a green vine snake.)
In fact, there were several exhibitors talking about the advantages of having snakes for pets -- and their snakes were a big draw to be sure. Frankly I could see one advantage of owning a 20-foot python; you wouldn't hear that next-door neighbor's yappy little toy poodle for long. . .There was also a group demonstrating why ferrets make great pets.
One of the more unique "vendors" at the show was a couple from New York City urging people to join www.barkthevote.org, an organization that is seeking to get pet owners out and walk their dogs to the polls and vote! (photo below: Ella McGuire and her two dogs Schmitty and Pudge from barthevote.org)
In other words, pretty much everything you could possibly want or need for your pet or to help you choose a pet was on display at the show.Actually it was pretty cool. Even if you didn't own a pet. There were lots of happy folks hanging about and so many stories. . .
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