From doggy training classes and a pet-friendly cafe to information on the greyhound adoption process, a new event is set to be a hit with pets and their owners.
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The inaugural Illawarra Pet Festival is taking place at Bulli Showground on January 25 and 26.
The weekend will feature activities, education, live displays, competitions, food, stalls, produce, live music and kids' activities.
Organisers hope the event will attract attendees from the Illawarra and greater Sydney region.
Showground manager and event organiser Darren Hull said the aim was to be a community-focused event "where people can bring their dogs along, bump into each other, sit down and have a coffee together and talk about each others' pets".
"We wanted to have an event that people can bring their dog along to and enjoy the activities with their pet," he said.
"There will be a lot of pet product suppliers there, people giving speeches about pets, dog behavioural classes and all those kinds of things.
"Pets are such an important part of peoples' lives."
The festival's entertainment and events director Kachina Lewis said supporting the business community was another key focus.
"It's about supporting local business, especially in a time where we're going through the fires and there's all these things happening around us," she said.
"It brings back the focus to small business and the importance of just supporting that."
The festival runs from 9am to 3pm each day.
Entry is $3 per person.
Visit www.illawarrapetfest.com for more details.