A dog might have had an easier time finding a bone in the snow Saturday afternoon than the drivers who were looking for decent parking at the Maryland State Fairgrounds, where hundreds of people refused to let rough weather keep them from one of the biggest animal events of the year, the World of Pets Expo.
Pet people who marked their calendars for this shuffled through the slush, sweatered dogs in tow, to get inside the show where it was quite obvious there's not much folks won't do - or buy - for their animals.
In aisle after aisle after aisle, vendors sold essentially anything that someone with a pet could want. In the arena, trainers showed off all sorts of things a determined person might get their pet to do. And, if someone somehow didn't have a pet, there was booth after booth for that, too.
If anyone doubted Americans are more in love than ever with their animals and more willing than ever to express that love with a flash of the credit card, a spin through the show would clear that right up.
Lisa Poland, a real estate agent from Baltimore who's not afraid to admit that she'll spend, seriously, on good toys for Louie, her Cavalier King Charles, was sifting though bins filled with rubber chew toys. Louie was more than happy to help her look. Standing on his hind legs brought the toy spaniel just high enough to snatch one toy after another.
Ann Lawson of Winfield, in Carroll County, cuddled with her Sparky before a stand selling dog treats made to look just like fast-food - french fries in a little sack, hamburgers, pizza .... even a happy meal that came in a little box.
Around her neck, Lawson was wearing a necklace with a silver dachshund charm that she bought at the show.
Linda Beilstein had to disappoint a few customers because in her vast selection of handmade fleece dog beds and coats, she had none made with Ravens fabric. The Edgewater woman and her daughter, Tiffany Schuffert of Glen Burnie, started making the soft dog things as almost a hobby but they've been surprised by the demand.
Greg Prott came all the way from Mechanicsville in St. Mary's County with his four golden retrievers, just to introduce everyone to Sunny, Rain, Wind and Cloud.
And on display, there was everything from 10-pound bunnies to gerbils to Maine coon cats napping in cages, their decadent tails wrapped around them. Someone was walking a miniature horse around, letting children wrap their hands in its mane. Joe Jones, a member of Baltimore Bird Fanciers, answered people's avian questions while Neleno, an 18-month-old green-wing macaw, perched on his shoulder, nipping at his ear.
The event continues today.
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