The Walnut Creek Animal Clinic will host the Puppy Bowl ‘tail’gate party, on Feb. 6, from 1:00 – 3:30 p.m. The event is an opportunity for all two and four-legged football fans to celebrate the human-animal bond and meet the entire hospital staff who will be available to answer pet care questions.
There will be demonstrations, games and prizes for pet owners and their furry friends.
“It’s our way of getting involved with the community, letting people know we’re here, and showing them different ways to have fun with their pets,” Walnut Creek Animal Clinic practice manager Claudia Harms said.
The clinic will also have demonstrations by some of their clients. One client will explain her program where she brings her dogs to elementary schools to encourage special needs children to read by having them read to her dogs. Others represent Search & Rescue, the Dog Scouts and the Boston Terrier Club. Another client is a representative for Barkbusters dog training company, and he’ll be giving out information on training.
The City of Mansfield will also attend the event to register pets and give out doggie-bag dispenser key chains as part of the “Keep Mansfield Clean” program.
Walnut Creek Animal Clinic is the only accredited member of the American Animal Hospital Association in Mansfield. This means they open up their clinic to inspection of every aspect – from their filing method to surgeries.
They want to take the extra effort to be accredited because, “We want to practice the best medicine possible,” Harms said.
The purpose of the Puppy Bowl is not only to draw in potential clients, but also to show off the only accredited clinic in Mansfield. There will be tours of all the different parts of the clinic – the boarding rooms, X-ray rooms and even the surgery rooms.
Senior Sara Chopin works at the clinic and will be working the Puppy Bowl along with the rest of the staff on the sixth.
“We’ll all be helping out. It’s our first year to do it and it seems like fun. We’re all excited,” Chopin said.
The Walnut Creek Animal Clinic hopes for a good turnout to their first Puppy Bowl, but they do not encourage pet owners to bring their pets because of lack of space. The clinic would also have to do paperwork and get vaccine records for every pet.
