Third Annual BirchBARK 911 Festival!

Focus on First Responders and Pet Education

MONTEREY — BirchBark Foundation, a local nonprofit serving both Monterey and Santa Cruz Counties in California, has helped save the lives of 119 pets in the past three years and kept them in their loving homes. BirchBark Foundation once again reinforces the human animal bond with their 3rd annual Pet Health Festival, BirchBARK 911, to be held on Sunday, September 25 from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. at Carmel Middle School, 4380 Carmel Valley Road, Carmel-By-The-Sea. The event is free and open to the public.

Emcee for the day’s festivities is Rosie Chalmers, Host of Good Morning Monterey Bay on KSCO-AM 1080. In addition to all day demonstrations by K9 Units, Monterey
Bay Search Dogs, Salinas-Monterey Agility Training and more, visitors to BirchBARK 911 will find vendor booths that include pet first aid from Carmel Fire Department; pet related health, fitness and medical information, BirchBark’s Associate Member veterinary hospitals and novelty pet items.

Local police and fire teams will be on hand all day (schedule permitting). This year’s BirchBARK 911 will, for the first time, offer agility instruction for dogs and their humans. In addition there will be a herding demo, games and prizes, photo booth, a silent auction and delicious food from Spice it Up, Zameen and Green Pedal Organic Smoothies. Well-behaved pets on leash are welcome!

BirchBark Foundation provides financial aid and pet health education. Some pet owners face a terrible choice: unable to cover the cost of catastrophic veterinary care, they may be forced to give up a beloved pet — quite possibly to be euthanized. Since the foundation launched in 2013, the BirchBark grants program has provided financial aid to save the lives of 119 pets and provided priceless pet health education and guidance to thousands via their website at BirchBarkfoundation.org, at events and on social media at Facebook.com/birchbarkfoundation and Twitter.com/birchbarkfdn.

BirchBARK 911 is sponsored in part by IDEXX Laboratories, Diggidy Dog Carmel, Westside Animal Hospital, Pacific Veterinary Specialists and Emergency Service, Santa Cruz Veterinary Hospital, and Annie’s Blankets.

For more information about BirchBARK 911 festival and/or BirchBark Foundation contact Bunny Tavares at (831) 462-6004 or bunny@birchbarkfoundation.org.