For animal lover Isabelle Piché, hosting the Salon des Amimaux is her opportunity to improve the living conditions of animals in Laval and its surrounding areas.

Inspired by other expositions she’d attended elsewhere in the province, Piché decided to start Laval’s very own animal exposition. This event will present guests with an interactive experience with the objective of teaching them more about what it means to own and care for a pet. Over ten different types of animals will be on display for everyone to learn about and interact with. Overall, Piché is hoping to have approximately 60 exhibitors on site, and she is expecting between eight and ten thousand people to attend the event.

Piché is focusing on covering all aspects relating to animal ownership. She has invited animal breeders, pet food suppliers, animal accessory salespeople and even artisans to open booths at her event. The intention is that they inform the public about what they offer, while teaching them about what it means to be a pet-owner. The event will feature presentations, conferences and demonstrations about instructing pet owners how to train their pets adequately.

“On the animal side, a lot of people are misinformed,” says Piché. “They don’t know what is involved in having a cat, a dog, even a hamster. A lot of people adopt animals thinking that it’ll cost only the food!”

Piché believes that people who attend this exposition will be better-informed about the responsibilities and the financial commitment involved in owning a pet, which allows them to make a more educated decision as to whether they would like to take one on or not. “The information can discourage some people from buying animals, but at least they [animals] won’t end up in shelters,” she says, noting that there are nearly half a million abandoned animals in the province of Quebec alone.

The Salon des Amimaux is dedicated to the well-being of animals, as they’ve partnered with the Fondation BEA (Fondation pour le bien-être des animaux) in order to ensure that the animals’ rights are protected and that there is no maltreatment.

The exposition will be very family-friendly and offer opportunities for all who attend to win prizes. Participants will be able to partake in a quiz game in which they’re encouraged to visit various booths and ask the exhibitors questions in order to fill out their sheets. The Cosmodome will also be issuing a prize, as they will be inserting every visitor’s name into a draw and select a winner among the participants.

The event will take place on May 27th and 28th, starting at 10 am in the parking lot beside the Cosmodome. Tickets cost $10 for adults, $8 for seniors, $5 for children aged five to 12. Entrance is free for children under five years old. Tickets can be purchased either online or at the door. A free shuttle bus (bus 360) will be available to transport guests between Montmorency Metro and the event.

More information about the Salon des Amimaux can be found on the following website; www.salonamimaux.com/