Bring your pets — expo is an animal attraction for all

March 29, 2015 at 12:07a.m.

NILES

Pet Expo Niles

“Sold” and “Sold” can be their names as far as Jaime Scott is concerned — two 5-month-old pot-bellied pig brothers who are making their debut at the Northeast Ohio Pet Expo.

One is noticeably bigger than the other.

That’s the one who’s faster to the food bowl and who stays longer, explained Scott, proprietor of Ponytails Petting Zoo.

But they’re cute, running around their pen as if they’re joined at the hip, a couple of pink, black-spotted inseparable little porkers.

Scott, of Canfield, intends to sell them for $100 each, and that’s a deal for the expo — the pigs can sell from $200 to $300, he said.

They’ll get to be about 60 pounds, and they can be litter-trained or trained to go outside with your dog.

But go to the expo early today if you want one — or two, because that’s all there are. It starts at 10 a.m. at the Eastwood Expo Center. It continues until 5 p.m. Admission is $5, and children under 12 are admitted free.

While you’re there, let the kids roam the rest of the zoo. They can meet up with Olaf, a pygmy goat born in February when it was 13 degrees below zero.

He had to be brought inside, said Scott, so he was named after the snowman in the movie “Frozen.”

There’s a donkey named Dominic, and an alpaca named Ernie.

Scott also has bunnies, chicks and ducks for sale.

While you’re getting your kids ready to go today, get your pet ready, too.

Friendly, restrained pets are welcome, said expo coordinator Judy Henninger. Don’t forget your pet’s outfit for the 2 p.m. fashion show.

The expo features plenty of vendors selling products and services, and the Easter Bunny is there for photo ops, Henninger said. There is even a pet psychic.

Rescue organizations and charities are selling items and taking donations.

Trumbull County Career and Technical Center’s special-needs students are selling pet-related items such as raised dog-food bowl stands, bird feeders made from recycled tires and special pails with wheels for easy waste-collection in the yard, said teacher Linda Papagna. Helping her out at their booth was her shepherd mix, Buddy.

Money the booth raises, she said, goes toward field trips for the students.

The Birds in Flight Sanctuary of Howland helps sick, injured and orphaned raptors fly again, its sign proclaims.

Some of those beautiful birds are perched behind its booth — a Harris’ hawk, barred owl, screech owl and red-tailed hawk.

TNR, which stands for Trap, Neuter, Release, and Cats Are People, Too are sharing booth space — but they’re used to teaming up, said TNR’s Corky Stiles and Cats’ Melody Maret.

TNR traps feral and stray cats in Trumbull County and has them spayed or neutered, then releases them back into their cat colonies.

If the organization becomes aware of kittens, it turns them over to Cats are People, Too, which finds homes for them.

Last year, Cats found homes for 163 kittens, Maret said.

Last weekend, TNR spayed or neutered 100 cats at a mobile clinic that comes from Dublin, Ohio, Stiles said.

Over the winter, it gave away 500 outdoor shelters for homeless cats.

She said TNR also will be starting runs in which volunteers will take 25 to 50 cats to Angels for Animals to be spayed or neutered. They also take low-income families’ cats. Call 330-330-8166 for more information.

The two groups are selling T-shirts, sweat shirts, wreaths, car magnets, cat carrier pads, plaques, candy bars, cat toys and other items to raise money.

Other groups include Athena Animal Advocacy Group, West Side Cats, National Brittany Rescue and Adoption Network and Nitro’s Ohio Army/Mahoning-Trumbull.