Pets ROCK! Fest returns this Saturday

Pets ROCK! Festival is coming back for its second year at the Jackson Fairgrounds. The event, organized by the Jackson Animal Care Center, will be Saturday, July 15, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Admission is $5. 

“I'm really excited. We had a great turnout last year. We had almost 2000 people come through last year. And we're hoping to double that this year,” Jackson Animal Care Center Director Whitney Owen said. 

At this year’s event, you can expect more than 65 vendors inside and eight food trucks outside, along with dogs for adoption from the Jackson Animal Care Center and Dyersburg Humane Society. “Jackson Famous” community members will raise money for the animal shelter by sitting in the dunk booth. There will also be $20 microchipping. 

The main event is Dockdogs, a competition for dogs to jump off a dock into a pool to catch a ball. Signup is online and ongoing for that competition. 

While the event does raise some money for the animal care center, it is primarily an outreach event for the community. With thousands of people attending, Owen says they’re able to connect with people they might not otherwise meet. 

“We've just had so much more interest this year, and so many more people are hearing about it and sharing it with their friends. It's really exciting because we get to see the spread of information to people that we normally wouldn't have any contact with,” Owen said. 

Julia Ewoldt, julia@jacksonpost.news