By KT Leong
Petz-A-Mania Pawstival is well underway. Kicking off the first of this two day event was an opening ceremony at around 10 am with Mr. Chan Ming Kai, the political secretary of the prime minister and YB Jenny Choy Tsi Jen, the Timbalan Yang di-Pertua Dewan Negeri Perak, alongside assorted supporters and sponsors, such as representatives from Craft3rd, Cleanme, Junior Chambers International (JCI) Kinta and Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs) like Noah’s Ark and PapanSouls.
After the opening, we had the first of several Parrot Releases. Where parrots, some with their handlers and others handed to guests, were released into the air, only to return straightaway to the waiting arms of their owners. Well, except for one cheeky fellow, who decided to take a tour of the whole Pawstival area before returning to his owner!
A K9 obedience demonstration was given, which culminated in several volunteers strapping on a protective armguard, to be tackled by a K9, who would refuse to let go until instructed by their handler, even if they were lifted up and spun around the air!
Hundreds of visitors streamed in early, with many bringing their pets on leashes, in baby strollers and both front and back pet carrier bags, as they perused the scores of vendors, offering all sorts of pet related goods. You can buy food, grooming equipment or just plain cute outfits for your pets.
There’s even a small petting area where you could see somewhat uncommon pets like hamsters and rabbits, to rarities like bullfrogs, snakes and horned lizards, to exotics like skinks, tarantulas and meerkats and finally, to oddities like lobsters.
Both visitors and vendors brought their pets, but for Muslims who may have touched certain animals by mistake, “sabun samak” is readily available. Which speaks to the preparedness of this entire event, as they have prepared potty areas for both cats and dogs, very spacious rest areas for cat-only visitors as well as all-animal visitors, and a first aid area. Unlike many events which leave the visitor drained and forced to make a move without experiencing the event fully, the plentiful rest areas with their pallets and beanbags for seating, alongside a row of assorted food vendors, mean that visitors can refresh and pace themselves, so as to fully enjoy the event.
Children squealed with glee at the kittens and puppies, all available at the Pawstival,with some of those kittens and puppies finally finding a new home.
The entire Pawstival is a huge and well organised undertaking and special thanks go to all the volunteers, such as JCI Kinta who provided over 20 in manpower, as well as the students who have given their time and effort to make this a successful event.
Those who missed out on the first day should definitely go tomorrow, as there will be many more events to enjoy.
