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Pugs and Boxers amuse village strollers

Whistler Dog Fest draws dog lovers and their pets to Village Common
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DOG DAY Lisa Sun and the K9 Incredibles Academy team entertained World Ski and Snowboard Festival visitors on Saturday, April 20. Photo by John French

Whistler is a dog town and to prove it, dogs are incorporated into the World Ski and Snowboard Festival (WSSF).

Once again this year, Dog Fest attracted dogs and people to Village Common to sniff butts, wrestle, bark, reconnect and socialize. The main attraction was a dog agility show put on by dogs and handlers with the K9 Incredibles Academy.

Show leader Lisa Sun, a certified master trainer, showed off the abilities of a number of trained pooches. She and other handlers put on two shows to entertain people strolling through Whistler Village.

The show is slightly different from the sky-high tricks of the big air competitions or the main stage concerts and many of the other WSSF events but Sun said she loves being part of the dog event every year. This was her fourth time putting on a canine show at the WSSF.

She said dog owners never really know what they are getting when they bring a dog into their lives. Her three pugs have become world famous.

“They’ve brought us across Canada to agility competitions, to PNE Super Dog, shows across Canada and the U.S.,” said Sun. “We’re so proud of them.”

Sun said her pugs have been featured in commercials and on television shows and she added that there’s great value in dog training – for pets and for pet owners.

“There’s potential in every dog,” she said after wrapping up an agility show watched by more than 100 people. “You just have to bring that out and you’ll just have so much joy having them in your life.”

According to Sun, agility shows inspire dog owners to have more fun with their pets and create bonds by working to learn fun tricks.

“You are going to have a dog that is more fit because it is more active, you’re going to naturally become more active because of moving up and about with the dog during all the training sessions,” said Sun.

Whistler Animal Galore volunteers were on hand at the festival collecting donations to support the work done by the animal shelter.