The Tour de Trails Strut Your Pup event on Saturday morning at Donner Park will include dogs up for adoption.
Some dogs may wish to go for a walk on the artistic side of life.
And the Columbus Parks and Recreation Department staffers want to do their best to accommodate the possibly creative canines.
The Columbus Park Foundation’s free Second Annual Tour de Trails Strut Your Pup event will be held from 8 to 10 a.m. Saturday at the Donner Park shelterhouse near Lafayette Avenue and 19th Street in Columbus.
The event will include Pollock-style pooch painting, puppicinos, photo opportunities, crafts, treats, a 1-mile walking trail with intermittent stops for water, a raffle, dog adoptions and more.
Last year, about 40 dogs and their owners attended. Organizers are hoping for more this year. All dogs must be leashed.
“It’s lots of fun,” said Chris Bartels, foundation board president, during a Facebook live video clip of last year’s inaugural event.
His camera panned to show plenty of happy, calm tail waggers, including one ready to create his own painting.
Vendors expected to be onsite include Columbus Animal Care Services, Bartholomew County Humane Society, Guardian K9, and Community Animal Rescue Effort Inc. At the gathering, attendees can donate to help maintain the city’s 22-plus miles of People Trails, according to Celeste Reynolds.
She’s project and resource development manager for the parks department.
Nicohl Birdwell-Goodin f Columbus Animal Care Services mentioned that the event is a great awareness builder for her staff’s broad, goodwill work for what the public sometimes interprets as “dog catching,” as she put it.
“We love the event,” she said, “and we love to have another way to get our name out there.”
