Latitude 25 Blog

Canines and their human companions will gather for a good time and a good cause on March 10 at the 3^rd Annual Woofstock at Founders Park in Islamorada, Florida. The fund-raiser will feature live music, food, pet-centric shopping and special events, with proceeds benefitting presenter MarrVelous Pet Rescues & Adoptions.

The festival begins at 11 a.m. and ends at 7 p.m. Admission is free, but donations at the door are most appreciated! If you plan on attending — and you should — be sure to hit these highlights as you work your way around the park:

Blessing of the Pets

Every October, Catholic churches around the world celebrate St. Francis of Assissi’s love for animals with a blessing of the pets. Consider the one at Woofstock to be a booster blessing! The ceremony will take place at 11:30 a.m. at the Amphitheater.

Ultimate Air Dogs

What started as a Michigan dock-jumping club now reigns as one of the premier dock-jumping organizations in the country. You will have plenty of opportunities to see the Ultimate Air Dogs do their thing, and your pups will be invited to participate as well.

Latitude 25 Booth

The Islamorada store will stock its booth with a multitude of pet products including:

• Peace Out Dog Harnesses — With Woofstock’s theme of “Peace, Paws & Music,” you’ll want to slip this brightly colored harness on your pup immediately. Sizes for all dogs big or small!
• New! Pet Themed Tervis Water Bottles — Convey your canine pride while keeping your beverage (and yourself) cool with these fun water bottles.  Get a free, ice-cold bottle of water with your Tervis purchase at Woofstock.
• Rescue Tees – Show your support for animal rescue by wearing this tee! Paw print burnout short sleeve t shirt with "Rescue is my favorite breed" printed on the front. Not only is this a cute tee, but we will donate $1.00 of your purchase towards animal rescue.
• Dog Collars and Leads – We have all your favorite designers! Teddy the Dog, Up Country Collars and Leashes, Guy Harvey, and Douglas Paquette to name a few.  (The “Adopted” collar and lead by Up Country are personal favorites for this occasion!)

Adoption Booths

In addition to presenter MarrVelous Pet Rescues & Adoptions, the following organizations will have dogs in need of fur-ever homes.  Woofstock visitors looking to adopt from one of these great groups should  visit their websites to learn more:

• ORCAT
• Labrador Retriever Rescue of Florida
• Boxer Friends Inc.
• Big Hearts for Big Dogs Rescues
• Dachshund Rescue of South Florida
• This is the Dog
• Safe Harbor Animal Rescue of the Keys - Marathon
• The ZENA Fund

All well-behaved, leashed dogs are welcome at the 3^rd Annual Woofstock at Founders Park. One final tip: Leave extendable leashes at home for this event, as it will be crowded and the danger of wrapping such a leash around someone’s legs exists. Don’t have any other kind of leash? Stop by Latitude 25, and the store’s helpful staff will help you pick out a collar and matching leash for your pup.

See you there!

A great time was had by all at Woofstock 2011. Sabrena Corcoran did a great video which you can watch at the end of this blog. She did a super job capturing the Air Dog Dock Diving competition and the Lure Chasing, as well as filming many of the dogs and their two legged companions.

Anyway, it was a huge turnout! There was every kind of dog imaginable. Even Wilbur the pig. They were on foot and in carriers, even some in a red wagon. All of the animals (and people) were well behaved.

There was all kinds of delicious food and great entertainment from several bands.

The theme was Peace, Love and Paws so there was all kinds of peace related and tie dyed merchandise. Our peace collars and tie dye koozies were a big hit. This is Angie and Mack. Mack got a new Guy Harvey collar  and leash - bright red and royal blue with sharks. You could see Mack everywhere he went in the festival, he was so handsome!

We featured artist Pat Anderson in our booth. She painted a labrador jumping in the water which is what the dogs in the Keys love to do. We sold a lot of her tee shirts with the Lab on them. A percentage of all of our sales went to Marrvelous Pet Rescue who sponsored the event. I have to congratulate them, especially Michele Beach for such a wonderful, well organized event.

For the safety and comfort of the dogs, there were water stations set up everywhere. I would like to mention something for all pet owners to think about. When taking your dog to an event, please be very aware of the possibility of them getting overheated. At Woofstock, all needs are addressed, but at the average event, they are not. I saw dogs at some of the recent Art Festivals who were absolutely miserable. As much as we love to bring our companions everywhere we go, it is not always in the best interest of our pet. I will give you an example of something that happened to me many years ago. I was walking my dog Stanley down by the beach and he kept stopping at the shadows underneath cars. I then realized that the pavement was so hot his paws were burning! Needless to say, I carried him all the way home. So please, check the temperature of the pavement. Also if they are panting and their tongue is swelling, TAKE THEM HOME.

We hope to see you at Woofstock in 2012. Here is Sebrena's video:

PS Check out a great Yelp review of the event!