The fifth annual Animal Fair presented by St Mary’s Animal Welfare League opened at 10 a.m. on Saturday May 9 at the St. Mary’s County Fairgrounds.  Dogs of all sizes and breeds, and their owners and children were there to enjoy the festivities while helping a very worthwhile cause; the welfare of animals in our county.

Upon entering the Fairground, each person was given a large orange tote bag for attending and each person with a dog also received two small black plastic bags for doggy clean up. To make visiting pets’ time more enjoyable, several small wading pools were placed around the grounds for the animals; some for quenching thirst and others to just lie down and cool everything off at once.

The events kicked off with a very informative demonstration of the Calvert K-9 Search and Rescue. A young German shepherd just beginning training provided a demonstration of the training that goes into this; it is not just a dog following his/her nose but a well trained dog and handler working together to find people in need of assistance.

These dogs, when fully trained, are capable of finding someone who has been kidnapped. The dog then picks up the scent of the kidnapper from the victim’s clothing, and will track and locate that criminal. These highly trained canines are also capable of locating a lost perhaps injured person and will go back to the handler to let him/her know that the person has been located and lead the handler to the individual.

Vendors of all kinds, from local vets, businesses, kennels, photographers and TBN, presented their wares and services as did many local dog/cat rescue groups. There were many dogs and cats available for adoption. A rabies clinic and micro-chipping were also available for people with pets who wanted these services. Besides all the informative things for the adult pet owners, the moon bounce gave the children a chance to play and expend some energy and as always pony rides were a big attraction for the little tikes.  There were also games for the canines including bobbing for wieners and baseball.

The King, Preston, a 10 year old smooth coat collie from Lexington Park, and the Queen, Bella, a 4 year old Pug/Pom mix also from Lexington Park, were crowned in the Pavilion based on their fund raising. Later King Preston and Queen Bella each rode in a convertible that followed as Grand Marshall Elvis of the Calvert Search and Rescue team, led the Parade down Main Street.

The assembly of dogs with owners was followed by horses led by Snowflake of the Snowflake Society that rescues and cares for hoofed animals in the county, a fairly new organization that was started in 2006.

The event’s Grand Marshall. Elvis training for 16 months in Search and Rescue had a very rough start to his life. When he was only eight weeks old he was burned to the bone and muscle over 50 percent of his body while in a wire crate where a heat lamp placed for warmth caused an electrical fire. His owners could not afford the medical costs and he was surrendered to the Humane Society. Elvis is not only good at Search and Rescue but he and his handler Michele are the winners of the 2008 Pie Eating contest!

The Blessing of the Pets took place in the Arena where anyone with a pet was invited to participate in a general blessing and a sprinkling of water. Special requests were also honored.

A very informative and heartwarming day to see what is going on right here in our county for the animals and all the businesses that support the cause championed by SMAWL. Volunteers are always welcomed. Visit their website for more information. www.smawl.org or check on line at TBN under Pet of the Week for how you can help.