INTERVIEW: Casey May, Doggy Day Out x Bayside Pet Expo
Posted by Buxton Lifestyle - 7 November 2019
Posted by Buxton Lifestyle - 7 November 2019
This year, the Bayside council have teamed up with Doggy Day Out Events to present the doggo- and family-friendly event featuring 55+ market stalls, food trucks, live music and heaps of entertainment for families and pups alike. We chatted to organiser, Casey May, to get the lowdown on what we can expect at this year's expo.
It is so exciting to have events like the Bayside Pet Expo running in Bayside. What makes Bayside a great location for this event?
Royal Avenue Park in Bayside is a great location as it is central for all Bayside residents to come down and enjoy a great day out.
What should attendees expect to see when they come down to the event with their pups? Are there any new activities this year?
If you come along to the event there will be heaps to do for both owners and their pets. We love making our events interactive so pet owners can try new things with their pets, help socialise them and also introduce their pets to new experiences. Pet owners can expect dog trick demonstrations, obedience demonstrations, bubble bursting mania, free agility equipment to try out, responsible pet ownership talks, competitions, and celebrity MC – Lara Shannon from Channel 10’s Pooches at Play. You can see the full event line up on the website or on the Facebook event page.
As you know, the Bayside area is full of dog lovers – how many people are you anticipating coming down to the event?
We expect 2000 - 3000 people to attend this event.
Are there any competitions or activities that owners can participate in to exhibit their dogs?
There are best dressed and best trick competitions that people can participate in. Attendees can register their dog on the day at the PetStock stand. There are hundreds of dollars worth of prizes to be won so it will be great fun.
Your team have been organising dog events for locals across Bayside, the Peninsula and heaps more locations. What inspired you to start creating and managing events for people to experience with their dogs?
We believe that owning a pet is so important for many reasons, but one of the big ones is that owning pets is shown to really help mental wellbeing. We wanted to create events that encourages like-minded people to meet and to allow a safe and fun environment to get to know one another, while also allowing their pets to socialise and have fun.
Socialising pets is also a really important part of responsible pet ownership and can help reduce the anxiety dogs might experience if they are not socialised well.
Events like the Bayside Pet Expo are a great way to bring the community together to celebrate and showcase small businesses and local businesses – why do you think events like this are important for the community?
Now more than ever, it is so important to support local businesses. The retail environment is facing some tough challenges with people tending to shop online more frequently, so holding events where we can showcase local businesses and encourage locals to shop local will help our entire community.
Bayside has so many great areas you can take your dog for walks and playtime – do you have any recommendations for local walks or off leash areas?
Our favourite is the Sandown Street Dog Beach – an exclusive area where dogs can run free off leash all year round. For other great dog walking areas you can visit the Council’s website.
To keep up to date with ‘What’s Happening’ at the event, head to the following pages:
