Fourth Annual Help Willy’s Friends Pet Fair

Fourth Annual Help Willy’s Friends Pet Fair

Hosted by Help Willy’s Friends on May 20, 2012. Centrally located at the Coginchaug Regional High School, 135 Pickett Lane in Durham, CT.

there will be something for everyone to enjoy – demonstrations, music, good food, shopping and most importantly, pets!

Everyone – Bring a blanket, buy lunch from one of our fantastic food vendors and enjoy a picnic while you watch the Police K-9, SCAT (Southern Connecticut Agility Team), DAWGS (Disaster and Wilderness Ground Searchers) and Skyhoundz frisbee demonstrations. Peruse our silent auction items, listen to great music courtesy of our generous and devoted DJ, and enjoy a taste (or two) of some great wines.

Vendors – Be one of our over 100 anticipated vendors. With a crowd expected to consist of over 10,000 attendees and volunteers, not only will it be a great day full of big hearts and lots of fur, but a profitable one as well.

Animal Shelters/Rescues – Last year, over 75 animals from 46 different organizations were adopted after meeting their forever families at the Fair. Walk with your favorite adoptables in our Pet Parade for even more exposure!

Kids – Free face painting and tons of free activities to keep you busy and engaged all afternoon – not to mention the unlimited supply of animals just waiting for you to pet and play with them. You might even get to meet Willy, himself!

Moms and Dads (of pets) – Take advantage of the discounted micro-chipping and rabies vaccinations, and free pet nail clipping and photography while your pets enjoy the free samples and opportunity to make new friends, no matter which end of the leash they’re on.

Help Willy’s Friends is a nonprofit organization of volunteers that collect pet food and treats, supplies, bedding and money donated by everyday people from bins located in dozens of retail stores and generous companies. We have been able to distribute these contributions among approximately 75 private and municipal shelters, rescue groups, pet pantries (two of which HWF helped to create) and related organizations. To learn more about Help Willy’s Friends, visit our website at www.helpwillysfriends.org.

The money raised at the 3rd Annual Durham Pet Fair enabled Help Willy’s Friends to award animal shelters/rescues with over $5,000 in cash and spay/neuter vouchers. Please help us to continue helping Willy’s friends by stopping by, enjoying the day and becoming a part of the good will and fun.

Parade of Stars!

Back by popular demand is our Parade of Stars! Watch the true stars of our adoption event enjoy their 15 minutes of fame as they walk the red carpet, and are introduced for all to meet. We are expecting a great showing of available dogs from the 50+ shelters and rescue groups attending the Fair. Please stop by and help us cheer them on and share in their joy

Registration and Directions

Online Registration for the Help Willy's Friends Pet Fair is now available.

Download Full Packets
Please read all materials carefully then register on the website or mail back to us by April 1, 2012.
For Vendors/Businesses
For Non-Profits/Shelters/Rescues

Help Willy's Friends is a 501(c)(3) non-profit animal welfare charitable organization founded in 2006 by Mark and Sharon Paturzo, of Durham, CT. Their inspiration is Willy, an Australian Shepherd-English Springer Spaniel they adopted from a shelter in 2003. What they found in their search for a new four-legged family member is that there are so many more wonderful, loving, entertaining dogs and cats who only want a family or a person to call their own. What they also learned is that millions of dogs and cats are euthanized nationally each year for lack of funds to care for them, lack of space to house them, and lack of families who want them. Thus, Help Willy's Friends was born, to:

• Provide shelters, pounds, rescue groups and related organizations with food, supplies, and monetary donations for veterinary care for homeless dogs and cats.
• Sponsor awareness events to bring attention to the thousands of abused, abandoned, neglected and unwanted animals biding their time in pounds, shelters and rescue groups, waiting for that second chance for love and security.
• Encourage volunteerism and participation by the community for the benefit of these animals who desperately need our time, our love, our care, and most importantly, our homes!
• Promote adoption of our 4-footed family members for anywhere from $5 to a few hundred dollars, rather than spend thousands of dollars at pet stores for designer breeds or pure breeds massively produced at puppy mills (in fact, did you know you can often find that pure breed or designer breed at your local pound?)
• Time is often of the essence for these animals. Please help us to help Willy's Friends!

Help Us Get The Word Out!

Download and Share the poster for the Help Willy's Friends Pet Fair!