Downers Grove Park District to host Dog Daze Sept. 9

The Downers Grove Park District will host its second Dog Daze event. Dog owners can pack up their pooch and plan for a day of free fun-filled activities. The event will take place from noon to 4 p.m. Sept. 9 at Fishel Park, 1036 Grove St. in Downers Grove.

Vendor booths will offer demonstrations, giveaways and merchandise to buy. There will be live acoustic music by Mike and Traci from Good Clean Fun. Buy treats for humans or pups and enjoy adult beverages. Food vendors will include Dope Sandwich Food Truck and Chick-fil-A. Adults 21 and older can buy beer or wine for $6 each.

Dogs can cool off in doggie pools, romp through sprinklers and chase bubbles in the fenced off leash splash zone. A noncompetitive agility course will be open for free play from noon to 2 p.m. and will feature obedience tools and other training demos.

The peanut butter competition area will have individual stations where dogs will compete in peanut butter licking competitions. Short dogs will compete at 12:30 p.m., thick dogs at 1:30 p.m., tall dogs at 2:30 p.m. and older dogs at 3:30p.m. The winner from each group will receive a prize.

The West Suburban Humane Society will be on-site with adoptable dogs, applications and information regarding how the community can help other furry friends. During the event, visitors can support the Humane Society by donating much-needed operational supplies (a list of items is available on wshs-dg.org). In addition, tips collected from beverage sales during Dog Daze will be donated to the organization.

During the event, all dogs should remain on a leash while not visiting the fenced areas. Dogs should be up to date on vaccinations. Pet owners are responsible for cleaning up after their dog. Aggressive animals will not be permitted to participate, according to the news release.

For more information and the schedule of activities for Dog Daze, visit dgparks.org.