25,000 people and their dogs are expected to attend the five PURINA Bark in the Park events across the country. The events provide complimentary dog washing, grooming classes, training tips and behavioural advice, family photo shoots, a fashion parade, an agility course, giveaways and PURINA food samples as well as great live music provided by Toucan.
The events are hosted by Channel Nine’s Steve Jacobs and promise to be a day of fun in the sun for families and their dogs, and really, where else can you head out for the day and know for sure that your dog is not only invited but welcomed.
Purina Bark in the Park is an annual social event specifically designed for families and their beloved dogs, to enjoy a free day out in the park with fun activities, live music, demonstrations and free samples for your dog. The event is held across the country, and in other countries across the world.
There will be a Guinness World Records record attempt at each of the five events taking place across the country from September to November. The attempts will be open for attendees and their dogs to participate, for a gold coin donation, and all funds will go to the Animal Welfare League.
The record being attempted is the Loudest Bark by a Group of Dogs, the current record is held by a group of 76 dogs in Washington Park, Colorado USA. The group registered a sound measurement of 124 decibels in a group bark on November 7, 2009.
Australia is a nation of pet lovers and over 40% of Australian households own at least one dog, that makes us a great contender to break the record.
Dr Joanne Righetti is a Celebrity Animal Behaviourist and PURINA Ambassador, she will be overseeing the record attempts in each state and has produced a special online video for PURINA which will help teach owners how to train their dog to ‘speak’ on command in the lead up to the record attempt. If you are interested in checking out the video you can find it at www.purina.com.au/bark-in-the-park.
To qualify each state will need to have at least 76 dogs participate and they will have to register a louder bark than was achieved in Washington State.
There are many positive behavioural benefits of teaching your dog to ‘speak’ on command, said Dr Joanne Righetti. ‘It’s a wonderful bonding experience but it also allows owners to train their dogs to be better behaved in public, as learning how to speak on command is the first step in learning how to be quiet on command too!’
The record attempt will take place at 12.45pm at each of the PURINA Bark In The Park events, under the watchful eye of Dr Jo the dogs and their families will have three chances to break the existing record. Each state will compete to break the record and, with luck and dog power, bring Guinness World Record glory to Australia.
Some general things to keep in mind are that all dogs are required to be leashed at all times, and you will be required to pick up after your dog. Food and drink will be available and water troughs are provided for the dogs though it is requested that you don’t feed your dogs the sample foods until you get them home to avoid fights.
PURINA Bark in the Park event information:
Melbourne
Saturday 22nd September
Princes Park, Carlton, VIC, 3054
Opening Times: 10am – 2pm
Brisbane
Saturday 29th September
Roma Street Parkland, Celebration Precinct QLD, 4000
Opening Times: 10am – 2pm
Adelaide
Saturday 20th October
Rymill Park, SA, 5000
Opening Times: 10am – 2pm
Sydney
Saturday 27th October
Phillip Precinct, The Domain, Sydney, NSW, 2000
Opening Times: 10am – 2pm
Perth
Saturday 3rd November
Charles Court Reserve, Nedlands Foreshore, Perth, WA, 6009
Opening Times: 10am – 2pm
The World Record for Loudest Bark by a Group of Dogs will take place at 12.45pm at each of the above events in a specially designated area.
To find out more about these events head over and see them at: www.purina.com.au/bark-in-the-park
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