Bradenton’s Bishop Animal Shelter hosts Canine Christmas

If you love to look at dogs dressed in Santa suits, Bishop Animal Shelter was the place to be on Saturday.

The shelter, 5718 21st Ave. W., hosted the 18th annual Canine Christmas event on Saturday. Shelter officials said that it’s hard to come up with attendance figures for a free event, but they estimate that this year’s was one of the biggest, with maybe 2,500 people in attendance throughout the day.

A lot of them brought their dogs. Some of the dogs were just there to enjoy the perfect weather and the wooded surroundings, and the company of other dogs. But a lot of them were there for some not-so-serious competitions.

The day was filled with dog contests from the morning’s shedding contest (you won if you pulled more hair off your dog than anyone else could), best trick, Roll Over Rover (most rolls in a 60 seconds) and ugliest dog competitions.

But perhaps the most popular event of the day was a fashion show. Pooches competed in several categories, including most creative and best owner/pet duo, but the “Best Christmas spirit” category seemed to be the most popular. All afternoon, people walked through the grounds with dogs sporting pointy red stocking caps and red coats.

Dozens of vendors, selling everything from treats for humans to personalized bandanas for dogs, lined the walkways through the shelter’s spacious grounds. The vendors all paid small fees to be there, and that money helps support the shelter, but that wasn’t really the point.

“We don’t call this a fundraiser,” said Samantha Dominis, the public relations coordinator for Bishop Animal Shelter. “We call it an adoption event.”

One of the rescue organizations that came to Canine Christmas was Canine Castaways, a rescue based in Arcadia. The organization brought an RV full of adoptable pets to the event. They took applications for adoptions. Potential owners have to be screened before they can take possession of animals from Canine Castaways in order to avoid what an official called “impulse adoptions”

“This is great,” said Kim Rinaldi, the president of the organization, said of Canine Christmas. “We’ve been here every year. We look forward to it all year.”

One reason this year’s Canine Christmas was probably bigger than ever is that it was free. The event has always been at Bishop Animal Shelter, but until two years ago it was another organization’s event. That organization charged for parking and admission. Canine Christmas has been free for the two years that it has been run by Bishop.

Jim Foster, his wife, Betty, and their 13-year-old poodle, Ginger, were at Canine Christmas for the first time, though they’re longtime supporters of Bishop Animal Shelter.

“We got her here 11 years ago,” Jim Foster said, motioning to Ginger. “We bring her out here every once in a while, but we’ve never been to this event before. She loves greeting all the other dogs.”

One reason the Fosters cam to Canine Christmas was to see if there were any other small dogs up for adoption. But they were having a great time watching the costume contest and the doggie obstacle course.

“We’ll be back next year if we’re still able to,” Betty Foster said. “Ginger will be able to but we may not be.”

This story was originally published November 19, 2016 at 10:10 PM with the headline "Bradenton’s Bishop Animal Shelter hosts Canine Christmas."