“Pets on Cleveland Street?” you say. “You must be barking mad!” Au contraire. An estimated 600 people brought their pets to downtown Clearwater. There were dogs of all kinds and sizes, cats, hedgehogs, ferrets and even iguanas. They came to participate in the 5th Annual Pet Festival, an event put on by the Clearwater Downtown Development Board.
In addition to booths for vendors and rescue societies, there was entertainment for the animals and their owners, included contests and games. Contest winners were Jessie, a Great Dane owned by Diane Travers for largest pet; Hattie Mae, a hedgehog owned by Merle Stubbins for smallest pet; Mojo and Jojo, Bearded Dragons owned by Alie Clarke for most unique pet; China, a Pomeranian, owned by Nola Davis for Best Look-Alike, and Olaf and Blossom, two Newfoundlands, owned by Bruce 
Meligan for Best in Show. There was also a puppy race for large breed dogs, and one for small breeds.
In addition, Melissa Koberna of Progressive Dog Training presented a Pet Obedience Discussion and Demonstration, and the Clearwater Police K9 also presented a demonstration. A three-day, two night stay at the Clearwater Beach Holiday Inn & Suites was raffled off and won by Angela Pavao.
Last year the event was held in May. This year it was moved to March 27th in order to accommodate pets with cooler weather. “We had perfect weather albeit a bit windy in the morning,” said event coordinator Anne Fogarty-France. “This year’s event was a huge success.” According to Fogarty-France, the purpose of the Pet Festival is introduce more people to downtown Clearwater, “and to show that we are a pet-friendly downtown.”