50 vendors at the Pet Expo, now in its seventh year

50 vendors at the Pet Expo, now in its seventh year

NILES

Scooter, a 5-year old Yorkie, isn’t like most of the dogs accompanying their owners at the Eastwood Expo Center this weekend. That he is even able to walk at the Northeast Ohio Pet Expo Show and Sale is a tribute to the animal lovers who are taking care of him.

Scooter, barely 10 pounds, uses a specially designed wheelchair because he suffered a crushed back in an accident several years ago. The device with two wheels in the back enables the little dog to get around. Scooter seemed to enjoy being petted by passersby.

“The company that built the wheelchair picked up most of the costs, but we provide the therapy,” said Darla Donahue of New Lease on Life Rescue, the shelter in Struthers that is taking care of Scooter. “He’s already showing signs of developing more muscles.”

Other shelters have also set up displays with the same goal: raising badly needed funds.

“We have eight puppies and 37 cats at our shelter up for adoption and it costs money to take care of them,” said Veronica Caruso, a volunteer with Small World Cat and Dog Rescue in Girard.

The shelters are among more than 50 vendors at the Pet Expo, now in its seventh year. Among the displays are clothes, treats and medical supplies for dogs and cats — and a petting zoo with goats, an alpaca, sheep and a pot-bellied pig. Parents with very young children and some adults without any couldn’t resist person-to-person contact with the animals.

The event continues Sunday. Read more in Sunday’s Vindicator.