Dog Daze draws crowds, competitions, adoptions
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Charlotte Blake's dog Fiesta - Photo courtesy of James Jamesenos
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Charlotte Blake and Fiesta - Photo courtesy of James Jamesenos
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Justin Daniel and MC's Carpe Diem - Photo courtesy of James Jamesenos
Sunny skies and hot temperatures greeted canines and their owners for this year’s Dog Daze VIX that took place in Village Green shopping center Friday through Sunday, Aug. 16-19.
Justin Daniel’s 2-year-old Belgian Malinois, Carpe Diem, took home the first-place win in the last competition of the event.
“Even with a multitude of events taking place throughout the greater Knoxville area on this weekend, we are delighted to have seen just over 5,000 folks come out to enjoy some time with the amazing water-loving canine athletes of DOCKDOGS,” said Steve Krempasky, executive director of Shop Farragut, which presented Dog Daze. “Although the weather was warm, no rain or thunderstorms came through to pause the activities.”
In fact, there were no rain clouds until the end of the last event on Sunday afternoon, when a short thunderstorm rolled through.
“Patrons, many with family and friends, were able to witness over 400 jumps from approximately 50 different competing dogs in four different events throughout the weekend,” Krempasky said. “They jumped for distance; they jumped for height; and were timed for both speed racing and retrieving.
“Overall, the event was a great success for Shop Farragut’s mission to engage the public with our local businesses and shopping centers,” he said. “Sponsors and vendors were delighted to support such a fun and family friendly event. Most ran out of promotional items
“One of our non-profit vendors, Puncher’s Chance Rescue & Sanctuary of the Smokies, was delighted to get three adoptions of their shelter dogs completed, too,” Krempasky said. “If we had to change anything, we might look to a cooler time of year.”
