The Puptopia Festival made its way to Dallas at the Pacific Plaza Park on Saturday, bringing in dog lovers from across the city and even from outside the state.
Called the “DisneyWorld for dogs,” the Puptopia Festival brings a multitude of events and activities for both dogs and their owners.
“This is our second year to have Puptopia festival in Dallas. We were originally supposed to have it in March 2020, but here we are, and we’re excited to be back for our second year in downtown,” Shermayne Crawford, Puptopia director of accounts and marketing, told The Dallas Express.
There was something for everyone at Puptopia, including pet owners showcasing their dog’s skills in a friendly competition and a huge open area where dogs can mingle and frolic with their fellow canine friends. There was also the K9 Lounge, where both canines and humans can eat and drink together.
The park was packed with dog lovers and people. As soon as pet owners walked through the gates, they were greeted with a giant orange fire hydrant display to take plenty of pictures in front of, followed by a giant ball pit that dogs can jump in.
“Oh, I mean, the Instagrammable giant photo ops are super fun; I mean, we have an 8-foot giant fire hydrant, a giant water bowl full of balls, the spa. I think they’re all super fun, and you can see the dogs just getting into it,” said Crawford.
![giant water bowl](https://dallasexpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/Copy-of-Untitled-1600-x-900-px-8-2-1024x551.jpg)
Image by Josh Carter / The Dallas Express
Puptopia brought out all types of canines, from giant huskies to two Australian shepherds named Lexi and Emily from Oklahoma.
“We actually came all the way from Oklahoma City,” said Michael and Alyssa Ray, speaking with The Dallas Express. “We saw this event on Facebook in an ad, and we were like, ‘Oh my gosh, we got to go to this,’ so we’ve been preparing for months to come to this,” said Ray with excitement.
![Attendees at the festival](https://dallasexpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/Copy-of-Untitled-1600-x-900-px-9-2-1024x551.jpg)
Image by Josh Carter / The Dallas Express
With Dallas’ 2022 Puptopia Festival in the books, you’d have to be barking mad to miss the event in 2023.
“We brought our puppy here today to meet other dogs and have a good time,” said Carol Han, dog owner. “We definitely plan to come back next year.”
For more on Puptopia, click here.