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Sydney Pet Expo 8/9 Feb


Salukifan
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I'm wondering how relevant these sorts of exhibitions will continue to be. It used to be 3 days long and I always wished I hadn't left going until the third day. This time, I can't imagine anyone going twice unless they had to.

So much is available via the net, all news things come up on the net, etc etc etc. Of course it is nice to meet people in person and I did have an indulgent giggle watching the little boy being kitted out to do animal surgery - LOL.

Just musing really.

I attended a couple of the stage presentations (I found the outside arena too hot and couldn't understand any of the commentary because of my hearing problems :cry: ). I listened to the "Animal Whisperer" (god how I dislike with a passion that expression :mad:mad ) and found myself wanting to tell her when she went on about the dogs [she had never met before today and didn't know anything about, of course] and how they were feeling, that anyone with a bit of experience could have come to those conclusions.

It was interesting and I'd probably go again in a couple of years time.

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I thought having quite a few breeds of dogs there that most people wouldn't have any other contact with was awesome...

I only really went to indulge my need for doggy cuddles... and was well satisfied!

T.

Well there certainly several breeds I'd never seen in the flesh, so that was interesting. It was so good to see them inside in the a/c as well. I particularly loved the White Swiss dogs. So beautiful, majestic and calm looking (whether they are actually that, I have no idea :laugh: :laugh: ).

I suppose it is a "heart" thing, but as much as I would love a couple of really big boofers, when I see little dogs like Peanut the L/H Chi at the mobile vet stall or little Oscar and William on the Oscar's Law stall, my heart just goes boompity boomp :laugh: :laugh:

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I was thoroughly in my element cuddling all of the large dogs I was allowed to... which was pretty much all of them... *grin*

I don't have slobber-phobia, which was a pretty good thing when I got to the Saint Bernards and Neos... hahaha!

T.

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Being poorly advertised doesn't help. I only knew of it from DOL. Seeing some "unusual" breeds was great, and it's always nice to see GAP and their greys. It cold be a fantastic way to educate the general non dog savvy public.

I was rreally pretty disgusted with the cat display. Not the expo fault, but there were a number of cats with dirty litter trays and not a human in sight. The cars were lovely, and there was a Bengal boy who was particularly stunning.

Apart from doggy cuddles and some treats I didn't gain anything from it. I did have a good day but wouldn't necessarily go again

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Guess what. I went and did not touch a single dog :rofl: I preferred to look. However I touched the Maine Coone kittens paws :D

Weren't they beautiful. Love the hairs coming out of their ears.

I was rreally pretty disgusted with the cat display.

I'm so glad I'm not alone. Generally I'm told to pull my head in and accept the way things are done :D . I couldn't stay too long at the cat diplay, it was too upsetting. :(:(

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  • The cat display was hot. It was hot upstairs in general. Hard to say how to correct that. Lots of cats were gone by the time I got there (approx 2pm sunday)
  • There was a nice mix of breeds there and it would have been a good opportunity to meet a few breeds if you were in the market. (As I have said) I got a Neo cuddle which was nice and got to meet some Leonburgers which was great as I have never met any before

BUT...

I found the exhibitors were a bit off. While I was there I saw...

  • one exhibitor told me I *Should not* feed my dog a supermarket brand as "you just never know what you're feeding"
  • The stay loyal guy walked away from me
  • one of the treat ladies didnt even speak to me - even though I inspected almost every pack on the shelf (for the record I still got some fish jerky which Scottie LOVES, he doesnt rate the emu jerky)
  • All dog handlers & dogs were really lovely :) As were the cats

I also just found the mix of exhibitions were off;

  • One Koi display - I doubt that the koi man would have had good ROI on his display. At least he was interested and chatted to me. No other fish
  • lots of runs / chicken pens / enclosures - Not sure how you *really* market them - but I would assume that sticking your business card in them and leaving isnt the way. One had a huge dog in there just chilling. The man who was around that part of the display didnt attempt to speak to me
  • - 3 vets (Green cross) ARH & Sash. I kind of get green cross as they're retail but I don't get why there were 2 referral / specialists there. I would always take my vets advice in relation to the actual reason I needed to seek specialist advice.
  • the pet smells candle lady - random

oh and I to ally missed the BARF guy

I don't know what I was expecting to see but I don't think I was expecting so many collars and leads and bowls and stuff you can really get from any old pet shop. I think I was expecting more agility/training/sports (there were some), LOTS more nutrition, toys, supplements etc. I also agree on more advertising - it's poor form that the only website was the actual exhibitor website not an actual info website for consumer. Sad thing is that this poor vendor = lower crowd = less vendor choice problem is a self fulfilling prophecy.

Oh well. I got some samples and as I have said at least 3 times now- some giant cuddles.

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Did anyone pat this guy?

Not sure if same dog, but there was a lovely big blue wandering around.

Scottsmum, I think you should send you comments to the organisers. I'm serious, not having a go. You were so right in that: "Sad thing is that this poor vendor = lower crowd = less vendor choice problem is a self fulfilling prophecy."

I have to say that I too wondered about having both SASH and ARF - I have been to both many times over the years and both are excellent.

The guys with the runs and the very large dude chilling in one (was he a Pitbull? Gorgeous) were there on Saturday.

I'd like to see the area where they do the parades, flyball, dancing, etc in a different space. I have no idea where, of course, as I don't know what is beyond that. I just feel it could have a bit more razzamatazz. The sound system is always very poor.

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Yes, was poorly advertised and not as busy as previous years however I found it much easier with the kids to get around and properly meet all the breeds as well as practice my photography : )

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Edited by GregW
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I didn't go to the Sydney Pet Expo but have had similar thoughts about previous Melbourne ones. It's a pity because they could be so much more. The Dog Lovers Show was a bit better and hopefully will grow. I have written to the organisers and suggested they look at Equitana which draws huge crowds, some from interstate. I used to go 3 out of the 4 days and would have gone to 4 if I'd been able to, whereas I'd only be at the pet expo for a few hours. I didn't go for the shopping, but to watch/listen to all the demos by different trainers and lectures. Some would do the same demo each day but some would show their training progression over the 4 days. I never managed to watch everything I wanted to. with all the different dog activities these days, I can't see why they couldn't follow the same format and make it much more interesting and educational.

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  • 2 weeks later...

We went to the Pet Expo this year and my two boys had an absolute ball - feeding the goats, seeing all the dogs, cats and the bird display.

However saying that I felt that it could have been better. I felt it could have been advertised better and had a dedicated website & facebook page of it's own that visitors could get inspired and excited by.

If you are looking for some more events to attend this year I have collated a huge range of events, expos, doggy days out etc all over Australia. If you have an event that you are organising feel free to send us the details and we'll pop it up there! http://www.dogculture.com.au/content/9-events

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Fantastic resource DogCulture!

If you want to add it, the annual Gold Coast Pet Expo is on 5 and 6 Oct 2014 here in QLD. Another interesting family and animal friendly event here in QLD is the Greenheart Fair, usually held twice a year at two different locations around Brisbane. The next one is on 1 June 2014 at Chermside. Each year there is also Purina's Bark in the Park which I think is in multiple states, but I couldn't find any 2014 dates.

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Fantastic resource DogCulture!

If you want to add it, the annual Gold Coast Pet Expo is on 5 and 6 Oct 2014 here in QLD. Another interesting family and animal friendly event here in QLD is the Greenheart Fair, usually held twice a year at two different locations around Brisbane. The next one is on 1 June 2014 at Chermside. Each year there is also Purina's Bark in the Park which I think is in multiple states, but I couldn't find any 2014 dates.

Thanks for those!

I was waiting to see what the Gold Coast dates were as those were last years dates.

I'll go check out the Greenheart Fairs now they sound great.

For some reason I think I remember reading somewhere that Purina were attending a lot of the other organised Doggy Days since there are so many rather than holding their own anymore? It's a foggy memory from somewhere within so I could be wrong! ;)

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Yes, was poorly advertised and not as busy as previous years however I found it much easier with the kids to get around and properly meet all the breeds as well as practice my photography : )

Hey Greg,

Love the photos!

It was much easier to get around with the kids, we had a great time, although obviously I was chasing them around and missed seeing you out there!

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