Dog Festival Features Food, Frisbees and Psychics

Frisbee-catching dogs and canine maze runners were the top draws Saturday at the second annual Off-Leash Dog Faire.

Enthusiastic owners watched as trained dogs caught flying discs or tore through an obstacle course--jumping over a raised bar, through a tire, then blazing through tunnels.

The handlers, shouting encouragement, accompanied the dogs through the maze.

“For older people like me who can’t keep up with their dogs, it’s an important feature they train the dogs to walk ahead of them,” joked Cara Callaway, a Van Nuys dog trainer.

For the roughly 3,000 dog lovers who attended, all manner of canine-inspired goods were available at the event held at the Sepulveda Basin Off-Leash Dog Park. That included dog jewelry, a dog photo booth and plenty of dog food and treats.

Proceeds from the event, about $3,000, will benefit the park, said organizer Lynn Stone.

“It’s about bringing people together who have a common interest,” Stone said. “Dog people are pretty nice people to hang around with.”

The dog people also had dog psychics--or, as they prefer being called, “animal communicators”--to diagnose their animals’ maladies.

“I communicate with them to see what their issue is,” explained Encino animal communicator Jeanie Alonzi. She said she has treated coyotes, birds, deer, cats, dogs, horses, even a squid at an aquarium.

Cecily Knapp, 33, said she was satisfied with her spiritual session with Laguna Niguel animal communicator Christina Redfern. Knapp, of Tujunga, and her dog Queenie spent about 15 minutes with Redfern in a small tent, a $20 service.

“There was some kind of anxiety. At some point she was disciplined with a hose,” said Knapp, who is the dog’s second owner. “She always freaks out with the hose.”

Several animal rescue groups were at the event, giving dog lovers the opportunity to adopt a pet. Lou Kalof and her daughter, Courtney, 14, adopted a puppy from the Los Angeles Department of Animal Regulation.

“I was playing with him and I think I wore him out,” said Courtney, of Reseda, as her puppy lay asleep in a kennel cage. “We decided a stray would be a better dog.”

Many attendees came just to get their dogs out of their backyards. Wendy Edler of Van Nuys came with two wolf hybrids.

“I wanted to have our dogs meet other dogs,” she said. “It was nice to see all the animals that were rescued.”