For the uninitiated, Dogathon is an annual dog event organized by the veterinary students of Universiti Putra Malaysia, under the student societies Veternak and Zoologico Club. It was held this year on the morning of the 16th of August from as early as 6.30am to 1pm at Bukit Ekspo, UPM. At its thirteenth time, Dogathon 2009 was bigger and better, surpassing even the record set in 2008 in the Malaysia Book of Records for Dogathon 2008 being the largest gathering of dogs in Malaysia. All this despite various hiccups, including the most recent H1N1 scare.
This year’s Dogathon, themed Carnivale Canine- Tail’s up… It’s show time!- featured a variety of carnivale-styled games, including some of the popular classics such as the Carnivale Dog Race, a 3km run for both dog and owner around the grounds of Bukit Ekspo, spiced up this year with mystery gifts along the run. Master Hunt, a maze where the dog will be required to make its way to its owner through a maze was also one of the popular attractions of the day, with coupons being sold out early on in the day. Other fresh and new games included Fixing Mr. Clown and Doggie-go-round. Also to note this year was the impressive display of life-sized carnivale animal-themed decoration items put up at Bukit Ekspo, which managed to draw quite a number of photo-enthusiasts.
Carnival Dog Race
The VVIP of the day was Mr. Anthony Thanasayan, president of PetPositive, a group that advocates the use of animal-assisted therapy for the disabled. Many might also recognize him from his weekly column in the local newspaper, The Star. He graced the event along with Associate Professor Dr. Wahid, deputy dean of University Veterinary Hospital, Ms Christine Chin, president of SPCA Selangor and Ms Chris, representative from PAWS. Furthermore, a group of fellow wheelchair-bound members of PetPositive also conducted a sharing session at their booth discussing various issues related to animal-assisted therapy. Also making an appearance on the day was model Ms Amber Chia, a spokesperson for the pet food company, Artemis.
All visitors to Dogathon went home not only with good memories but also loads of free goodies from almost every known pet-product company in Malaysia. This is thanks to the many gold and co-sponsors who very generously contributed to a good cause through Dogathon. Of course, thanks also to all of you and your canine friends for supporting us. So, see you again next year at Dogathon 2010!
