New Club To Promote Island as Pet Friendly
By Jessica Delaney

The symbol for the Dog and Pony Club was designed by Donna Ikkanda, an illustrator who specializes in animal pictures.

The Dog and Pony Club is being organized this year to promote Mackinac Island as a good place to bring pets on vacation and to ensure health and safety for Island horses and pets. Mary Slevin and Sarah Chambers at the Mackinac Island Tourism Bureau, who came up with the idea, already have organized a number of activities for the summer, starting with several events at this month’s Lilac Festival.

As the director of the Tourism Bureau, Mrs. Slevin receives hundreds of e-mails a day, four out of five of them, she said, related to pets.

“Most e-mails are about what to do with pets, so I felt there was a need to respond, to let them know this is a dog-friendly place,” she said.

Visitors, she said, want to know which hotels will allow pets, which restaurants will allow them on outdoor patios, and what local restrictions there are regarding animals. The new club will compile answers to such questions and include a list of good trails for their canine companions, places to swim, and safety tips.

In the future, the organizers hope to work with the city to provide agility equipment for pets at a city park.

The Tourism Bureau will continue a program started last year to coordinate a dog-walking service, allowing visitors to hire a dog walker for an hour so they can enjoy a nice dinner. Anyone interested in getting on the dog walker list can contact the Tourism Bureau.

The club already has several sponsors, and members will receive dog tags from Petco, dog bags from Pet Supplies Plus, gift baskets and treats from Nutro pet food, and dog bowls from Cindy Frez of Customized Memories of Mackinac.

Dog and horse related events have been added to the Lilac Festival calendar this year. The first one will be Wednesday, June 15, with a Mackinac Island Community Foundation benefit, the Feast of Epona, at the newly opened Seabiscuit & Grog Cafe.

Epona was the Celtic goddess of horses.

The event will feature a silent auction during a cocktail reception, with proceeds to support the Rex and Elizabeth Orr Fund for the Care of Animals, an endowment held by the Community Foundation. The fund pays to bring a veterinarian to the Island, and this year will be helping the Horseman’s Association buy a horse for children to learn to ride.

The Feat of Epona is a collaborative effort of the Foundation and Tourism Bureau, said Jennifer Bloswick, the foundation’s executive director.

“It’s going to serve a lot of purposes,” said Ms. Bloswick. “It will be a get-together, and some people who haven’t seen each other all winter will get that chance, and it will let people see the Seabiscuit Cafe, which many haven’t seen. We’re hoping to have a successful turnout.”

Friday, June 17, there will be a Blessing of the Horses at the Horsemen’s Association Mission Hill Stable. Barn tours will be given by members of the 4-H club and several short talks will focus on the history of horses on Mackinac and relationship between horses and people on the Island. As organizer Trish Martin said, “You don’t have one without the other.”

The actual blessing of the horses will be done by the Reverend Vince Carroll of Little Stone Church, and everyone is welcome to bring their horse to the stables to take part.

“We’ll wish for a healthy and happy season for the horses and people on the Island,” said Ms. Martin.

Saturday, June 18, will herald the biggest event for the club with the Epona and Barkus Parade, followed by a Dog and Pony Show. The Parade will be modeled on the Barkus Parade held during Mardi Gras in New Orleans and will be one way to promote a welcoming attitude toward animals on the Island, said Ms. Slevin. A family-friendly event, the parade allows people to dress up their dogs and parade them through town. For $200, a dog can be the King or Queen and walk at the front of the parade, receive a gourmet meal, and be featured in the Lilac Festival Grand Parade Sunday, June 19.

The theme of this year’s parade is “Tails of Mackinac” and prizes will be awarded for the owner-dog costume that tells the best story. Every dog owner on the Island is encouraged to register. Pre-parade parties will be held at the Grandstand at the Jockey Club as well as at the French Outpost, both of which welcome pets at their outdoor dining areas.

Wayne Bradshaw of Greyhound Rescue return this year with several greyhounds to enjoy the parade and show, and Mike Morgan of Mid-Michigan Kennels will bring a Labrador retriever to the event. Mr. Morgan works with police departments and runs an obedience and training school for dogs.

The ponies will not be forgotten, as Larry Smith from country Road Haflinger will be bringing his Haflingers for the parade. Haflingers are mountain ponies originating in Austria.

The Dog and Pony Show will follow the parade at Windermere Point and will include activities such as “Smooch the Pooch,” a dog and owner look-alike contest, and pet portraits taken by Sarah Chambers. There will also be an auction for a “Pooch Porch,” built by Ryan Lindsey. Proceeds from the show support the Dog and Pony Club.