Civic Center park went to the dogs Sunday, with canines large and small the guests of honor at the first Woof Fest, a celebration of the four-legged.
Dogs got tattooed, played in a fenced-off, no-leash area, sniffed bushes and pretty much ignored the live music featured at the event.
Elia Duhart, 30, and her family were visiting Denver from Colorado Springs when they heard music welling up from the downtown park.
PHOTOS: Pooches have their day at Woof Fest in Denver
With them was Danger, a 5-year-old dachshund-miniature pinscher mix. “We came to Denver for a family day and we heard the music and said, ‘What’s that?’ When we found out, we said we have to go,” Duhart said.
Danger left the festival with an orange- and-blue football stenciled and spray-painted on his coat. The temporary tattoo was applied by PetSmart employees, one of whom estimated they had spray-painted about 300 dogs within two hours of the festival’s opening.
The most popular tattoo? A paw print, said Josh Gonzalez, 26, a PetSmart employee.
Keith Plocharczyk, 44, escorted Abby, a husky mix, and Bella, a Chihuahua mix, to the event.
His third dog, Molly, a Newfoundland, wasn’t able to attend. “She is getting old; she has bad hips,” Plocharczyk said.
The event was put on by PetAid, a Denver-based nonprofit that provides veterinary care to low-income pet owners.
PetAid provides a safety net of programs that benefit pets in need, by collaborating with veterinarians and community partners.
Local and national musical acts such as Nina Storey, P-Nuckle and Digg were scheduled to play on a pair of stages while attendees and their four-legged buddies strolled the grounds, checked out food trucks and beer tents, and enjoyed activities.
Tom McGhee: 303-954-1671, tmcghee@denverpost.com or twitter.com/dpmcghee
