By Mackenzie Ball, Sutherlyn Banker and Jordan Cicero 

BLOOMINGTON, IN (APR. 3, 2025)

Bloomington hosts pet expo show 

On Sunday March 9th, 2025, residents of Bloomington Indiana came together to support the pet adoption community, the Bloomington Pet Expo show. It was hosted at Switchyard Park Pavilion. This pet expo show is widely talked about and brings the community together. This Pet Expo show required attendees to purchase a ticket in order to enter the event. It is for anyone who has pets but had mainly attracted to dog owners and their residents. Local residents came together to see the dogs that were available for adoption, dog photographers, dog trainers and dog treat stores. The show was set up in a long room with multiple booths. Residents were able to walk around the booths and hear everyone’s pitch. It was a beautiful performance that they set up and nailed it with their residents.

We were able to interview Emily Dunham from Bloomington Animal Care and Control. They personally brought three young puppies to the show in hopes of getting them adopted. Emily and her partner had an adoption pitch for each resident that came up to their booth. They have been very successful in the past Pet Expo shows so they knew exactly what they had to say and how to recite those words to different residents. 

While walking through the show ourselves, we went up to each dog photographer booth. One booth in particular had their own dogs act on the spot for photos. These dogs performed so well that you could tell that the booth was gaining more business. The dogs were amazing models. There was also a Mardi Gras theme dog photo booth for the residents and their dogs to use. It was such a cute photo booth set up with fun colors, props and beaded necklaces.

Next up at the show were the dog trainers and their booths. The dog trainers worked very hard to show off their work with their dogs at the event. Each time a new person would walk up with their dogs, the trainers would show what they were able to teach their own dogs. The trainers would get their own dog to sit, or shake or lay down. Then, they would give their dogs a treat for their hard work. Next the trainers would move onto the resident’s dog. They would work with that dog for a couple of minutes and teach them to sit, shake or lay down. Then they would give that dog a treat before moving on to the next resident and dog that was in line. That quick training was very beneficial for any and all dogs that attended the show. 

Lastly, there were the dog treat stores booths set up. Each store was unique and special in its own way. They all had homemade treats but each of them were made different and had different ingredients. Residents had the option to learn about each ingredient and how they all were made. Residents were also able to support each separate store by purchasing those treats for their dogs. 

The residents were all very interesting and their dogs were so well behaved. There was one specific resident that stood out. He was carrying his two Dachshund dogs in doggy carriers. We had the pleasure of interviewing with him as well to discuss why he came to this annual show today. He adopted both of his Dachshund dogs and said just how important it is to adopt dogs in animal shelters and not just buy a puppy. All dogs, no matter their age, deserved to be loved and not stuck in a kennel. 

This Pet Expo show was a beautiful way to see the Bloomington community come together and support the pet adoption community and this time mainly the dog adoption community. It was such a special performance and all the money raised by each booth is able to help benefit their store, career or animal shelter. This Pet Expo show is an annual event that is performed every year around the end of February or early March. This Pet Expo show has something for everyone and their animals. It beautifully executed a performance for all residents and any animals, but mainly showcased dogs this time around and all the dogs showed and acted very well. 

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