Puppypalooza, the inaugural fundraiser to benefit the Unconditional Love Program of Alaqua Animal Refuge, will be held at Aaron Bessant Park in Panama City Beach on September 20th, from 1 pm – 9 pm.Puppypalooza will feature a DJ, inflatable bounce houses, retail, beer, wine, and food booths, a huge raffle, a jail, a dunking booth, dog agility shows, Unconditional Love Program dog performances, face painting, and tons of games for children. Beginning at 6 pm, Cadillac Willy will rock the park. Bring your own blanket or chairs and relax with your family in the park.
Food vendors include Shore Dogs, Smokin’ Butts, Dovalina’s Wood-fired Pizza, Sweet Henrietta’s, Fishale Taphouse and Grill, and Captain’s Lady Café and Sno Balls. Retail vendors include Pink Narcissus (Lily Pulitzer), The 30A Gear Truck, Cedar and Cypress Woodworks, Peaches to Beaches, Jam Berry Nails, Thirty-One, Scentsy, 30a Beach Girl, Ron John Surf Shop, Glas Designs, For Tails Only, Tastefully Simple, What’s Up Dog?, Shabby Wraps, Magnabilities, Beach Zinnia, Pure Romance, and more. Alcohol vendors include Pabst Blue Ribbon and CHASTE No. 850.
Since 2011, the Unconditional Love Program has provided inmates in local jails and prisons the skills needed to train and care for Alaqua’s canines. Two of our three prisons are located in Bay County, and the majority of the dogs from the program are pulled from Bay County Animal Control. The program helps save dogs that may otherwise have a hard time getting adopted.
This program adds value to the inmates’ institutional lives and provides job skills as they prepare for re-entry into their communities. The inmates learn empathy, patience and respect while teaching the dogs basic skills and potty training them. After graduating, canines are either adopted as family pets or continue on into a second phase and become therapy dogs that we give away free of charge to individuals or families who could benefit from one.
