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The Super Pet Expo is moving to Manassas Mall this weekend after spending 25 years at the now-closed Dulles Expo Center in Chantilly.
More than 150 local and national vendors will attend the D.C. region’s largest pet event, offering products and information about animal training, nutrition and health. Pets are welcome, while visitors looking to adopt can meet with local rescue organizations.
The expo will also feature canine entertainers, including Chrissy Joy and Celebrity Pups. Joy, host of “The Dog Moms” and “Farm Girl” on DOGTV, will demonstrate her training skills in two Friday shows and three shows on both Saturday and Sunday.
What animal casting agents want
Pet owners wondering whether their dog could become a social media celebrity or land professional work can attend a Pet Influencer Panel at 1:30 p.m. Saturday.
Dawn Wolfe, whose Pawsitively Famous agency casts dogs for movies, commercials and print advertisements, said appearance alone is not enough to get an animal hired.
Wolfe said she does not “care how cute a dog is” because training is what ultimately wins jobs. A dog sitting passively in a handbag would not impress her, she said, but one that can run and jump into the bag, raise its paws, bark on command and lie down inside it would demonstrate valuable skills.
Owners hoping to attract professional attention through a dog’s social media account should clearly list where they live, Wolfe advised. Casting agents are unlikely to contact an owner across the country for a job taking place elsewhere.
She also recommended professional training and posting entertaining photos and videos that show owners discussing products they genuinely enjoy using with their dogs.
From shelter dog to fashion model
Panelist Sam Carrell will appear alongside Tinkerbelle the Dog and Tinkerbelle’s sister, Belle.
Nine months after Carrell adopted Tinkerbelle from a shelter, an animal agent approached them on a New York street and said she wanted to work with the dog. Eight months later, the Maltese-Papillon mix was modeling for Ralph Lauren.
Tinkerbelle was selected as the face of the campaign and now has more than 430,000 Instagram followers. She has also been kissed by Taylor Swift, while Belle has appeared on “Saturday Night Live” three times.
Through modeling, commercials and public appearances, Tinkerbelle has become a highly profitable former shelter dog.
“It’s the Marilyn Monroe story,” Carrell said with a laugh.