By Morieka V. Johnson
Dog lovers, mark your calendar. East Atlanta Village Farmers Market (EAVFM) goes to the dogs from 12:00pm to 4:00pm on Sunday, October 18, in celebration of Dogtoberfest. This family-friendly event features Halloween costume contests for dogs, low-cost microchips, a parade of adoptable pets, and storytime for kids as well as delicious treats for people and pets.
East Atlanta Village residents Lauren Janis of Big Daddy Biscuits and Morieka Johnson of Soulpup.com founded the festival in 2013 with the goal of celebrating responsible pet ownership. With an entrance fee of $5 per dog, the inaugural event attracted more than 300 dogs and 500 people, and last year’s event attracted an even bigger crowd. Event proceeds fund a grant benefitting pet-focused nonprofits: LifeLine Animal Project, Southern Animal Rescue, and Pitties in the City. As the 2015 grant recipient, Pitties in the City used the money to help vaccinate 136 dogs and distribute more than one thousand pounds of pet food last year.
As a newly established 501(c) (3), Dogtoberfest in EAV also will fund initiatives designed to make East Atlanta more pet friendly. This summer, the organization installed a poop bag dispenser at the EAVFM space with plans to add more throughout the neighborhood.
“East Atlanta has always been a pet-friendly community. That’s what makes it so special,” said Janis, whose company Big Daddy Biscuits is title sponsor of Dogtoberfest in EAV. “I’m so proud to see neighbors embrace Dogtoberfest. We look forward to offering a bigger and better event each year.”
Join the fun. Please contact dogtoberfesteav@gmail.com to participate as a sponsor, vendor, raffle contributor, or volunteer. More information is available on Dogtoberfest on EAV’s Facebook page.
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