An unusual dog and cat show takes place in Samara every six months and almost none of its visitors go home empty-handed. Now the festival with the telling name "Man's friend" attracts hundreds of visitors.
"Two days, two pavilions, 200 dogs and cats, shelters, volunteers, costumes, games, discussions on new legislation on stray animals and difficult conversations about euthanasia for animals. Visitors can not only admire fluffy tails, watch shows, dances and contests, but also take with them those who may have already lost hope of someday being needed by someone," TASS writes.
The idea of not just an exhibition, but a real festival for animal lovers, was spied by the organizers of the "Man's Friend" in the capital cities, but implemented in the Samara manner. Since 2018, 11 such festivals have already been held in the region.
In the spring, cats and dogs were brought to an unusual exhibition by large shelters of the Samara region, owners of pet overexposures, volunteers and just those who were looking for owners for their own or found pets. When transferring an animal, an official contract is always concluded with the passport data and contacts of the owner, because shelters track the fate of pets.
Journalists have repeatedly told about the new destinies of the tailed ones. For example, a dog named Senora lived in one of the shelters in the Samara region for two years. Six months ago, at the festival "Man's friend", a girl Lisa fell in love with her, she and her grandmother came to play with her, pet her, but it took a long time to take her home.
"My granddaughter and her mother spent the whole winter on hitchhiking, on shifts and on weekends and on weekdays went to the dog at the shelter, walked with her. We're finally picking her up today. We will call her Yuki, she will live in a house with two chihuahuas," said Lisa's grandfather Alexander Skaredov.
And pensioner Irina Parfentieva, along with her daughter, son-in-law and granddaughter, came to the exhibition with a firm decision to take the cat home. She chose the cat according to the call of her soul and color, she also determined the name in advance. "Mona is already an adult, calm. She has the same color as the cat who lived with me for 22 years. I think that such exhibitions are important for everyone, especially for the younger generation, because they foster kindness and love," she said.
"We are holding the festival in order to unite volunteer movements and shelters. Together we can solve many issues, as happened in our region in connection with the adoption of amendments to the regional law on the treatment of animals," said Inna Tarasenko, the creator of the festival and director of the FlagmanVet veterinary center.
On the last weekend of March in Samara, 28 cats and dogs, as well as one rabbit, did not return back to their shelters, they were taken away by new owners - guests of the festival "Man's friend". In just six years of the festival's existence, the organizers have found a home for more than a thousand pets.
Photos provided by the organizers of the festival "Man's friend"