Inaugural Canine Expo Planned for March 30

The Flathead Kennel Club will host the family-friendly Canine Expo Extravaganza on March 30, where canine-lovers can go and learn about all the services available in the Flathead regarding everything dog.

“It’s the largest dog event of its kind that’s ever been held in the Flathead,” said Vicki Olson of the kennel club.

Taking place at the Gateway Community Center, the expo will feature vendors that focus their services on dogs, including trainers, groomers, veterinarians, pet supplies, boarding kennels, and more.

Along with vendors, there will be seminars and demonstrations taking place all day, from dog trainers and agility masters to veterinarians and a meet-and-greet with all the different kinds of dog breeds.

“It’s going to be lots of fun,” Olson said.

Dogs are welcome if they’re friendly.

“[People] can bring their dogs as long as they are on leash and they are people and dog friendly,” Olson said.

The event will also serve as a fundraiser for the dog parks in Whitefish and Kalispell, as well as the sheriff’s office, which is seeking to buy two Labradors to work at the department. Olson said the kennel club also plans to have a wall of pictures of locally adoptable pets for attendees to peruse, as well as a donation box for the Flathead Food Bank, specifically for dog food.

Olson anticipated dozens of vendors, with more getting in touch to be involved the week before the event. This expo is just the most-recent victory for the local kennel club, which worked for years with the club in Great Falls to bring an American Kennel Club show to Great Falls and had its first AKC show last year.
Admission is free, and the event runs from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

“It’s going to be entertaining, educational, it’s just going to have a lot of facets to it which is great,” Olson said. “We didn’t expect it to be this big and it grew!”

For more information on the Flathead Kennel Club, visit www.flatheadkennelclub.org.