World Of Pets Expo: An Event For Pet Lovers & Their 4-Legged Friends

TIMONIUM, Md. (WJZ)— If you're an animal lover, all roads lead to Timonium this weekend. You'll find dogs, cats, birds and a whole lot more at the Maryland State Fairgrounds.

Ron Matz has more on one of the biggest animal shows on the East Coast.

Dogs can't fly, but they'll get close this weekend. Chesapeake Dock Dogs are just one of the great attractions at the 11th annual World of Pets Expo.

"We have hundreds of booths for you to shop for anything and everything for your pet," said Jeanne Emge, World of Pets Expo. "We have a cat show, dog agility trials, a guinea pig-a-thon. The bird whisperer is here from Australia to work with difficult parrots."

Johnny Peers is back with his Muttville Comix. It's a crew of 22. He loves making kids smile.

"We have many shelters and rescues representing almost every kind of pet and they would love to have you come talk to them about pets they have that need homes," Emge said.

You can bring your pet too and learn about Thankful Paws.

"We are a nonprofit organization. We are a food bank for pets, so when people are going through a hard time and they're deciding between paying BGE or buying food for their dog, we're here to help provide temporary assistance to help them over the hump," said Lynn Molnar, Thankful Paws. "We love our veterans and we love our senior citizens and those are the people we primarily like to help, but the people we're able to help depend on the number of donations we get."

It's also a time to see how far a dog can go in the popular Chesapeake Dock Dogs agility trial.

"We have everything jumping for dock dogs, from a dachshund to Great Dane, even a mastiff, but it's primarily labs. We have at least five clubs represented here this weekend," said Jim Linde, of Chesapeake Dock Dogs. "The object is to see how far out in the pool they can go. If you break 15 feet, you're a senior title. If you break 19 feet you're a master title. If you break 22 feet, you're an elite title. The record is 28 feet 10 inches."

But there's no title for just having a good time.

"It is a wonderful family friendly event. You can even bring your pet if your pet is well socialized. Kids love this show. It's a great family venue," Emge said. "Come on out and spend the weekend with us.  With great food and free parking, it's the place to be."

The World of Pets Expo runs through 8 p.m. Friday and continues Saturday and Sunday. For ticket information, just click here.