LONDON, Ontario, June 8, 2012 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Veterinarian Dr. Peter Firth of Firth Veterinary Hospital in London announced that he and his team will run a dog water station at the Humane Society's Bark in the Park on Sunday, June 10. The festival goes from 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. at the Plunkett Estate on 9282 Elviage Drive. Bark in the Park will feature a walk-a-thon, nature trails, dock diving, agility contests, demonstrations and several activities for dogs and their families. People can pledge to raise money for the walk-a-thon, and the entrance fee is $10 per car. All proceeds support the Humane Society's mission to help neglected, abandoned and abused animals throughout the area.
Dr. Firth is excited to meet his patients and their families at the event while supporting the cause. "This will be Bark in the Park's first year as a complete festival after being just a walk-a-thon for several years. We are involved because we completely support the compassionate message it sends: responsible pet care includes looking out for those animals that have been neglected or abused. We'll be manning one of the water stations and checking out the dog training demonstrations, too. We have patients all around town and from St. Thomas, Aylmer, Dutton and Woodstock, and I hope to see a lot of them and their families at the festival."
Dr. Firth says that he and his team look forward to helping the Humane Society promote responsible pet care in the community through the festival. As a veterinarian, one of Dr. Firth's main goals is to help people understand how spay and neuter pet surgery helps decrease the overpopulation of stray and abandoned animals. He says that one female cat and her kittens could add nearly 420,000 cats to the population in seven years, whereas one female dog and her puppies could produce up to 67,000 offspring in just six years. Dr. Firth says people are astounded by the numbers, but that it helps them understand how they personally can contribute to reducing the number of animals that end up abandoned, abused or euthanized.
The veterinarian says that Bark in the Park will also be a good place to have fun with the whole family while doing something active to promote good pet care. Dr. Firth says that the festival will also include booths about pet health issues such as vaccinations, nutrition, training demonstrations, and a dog Olympiad competition with trainer Melissa Millet of Doggy House Calls fame.
Dr. Firth says he hopes to see a lot of people at Bark in the Park. "I hope there's a big enough crowd so that we can do this every year. All of us are looking forward to having fun supporting the welfare of animals throughout the area."
Firth Veterinary Hospital in London provides puppy and kitten wellness plans that include spaying and neutering surgeries, in-house radiography and ultrasound and a pet spa. Their website is http://www.firthvet.com.