Elle Cota, Spectrum Editor
Peace, love and plenty of paws took over 4951 Lake Brook Drive on Sept. 26 as Richmond Animal League hosted its 16th annual Woofstock festival.
The event brought together animal lovers, pets, rescue organizations and potential adopters while giving RAL and its partners an opportunity to showcase animals in need of homes and raise money for the organization.
Woofstock, a play on Woodstock, the music festival of the late 1960s, ran from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. and featured a dog parade, agility course, live music, vendors and adoption areas. Dogs in strollers and costumes moved through the event as attendees stopped for food and pup cups.
Steve Bardy, deputy director of development at RAL, said the fundraiser money supported general operations, including animal care, clinics, foster care and work with community cats through trap-neuter-vaccinate-return programs.
This was Bardy’s first Woofstock, but not his first dog festival. Before joining RAL, he was executive director at Pet Alliance of Greater Orlando, where he worked with a similar event called Paws in the Park.
Bardy has been involved with animal welfare for years, fostering over 60 puppies and a handful of kittens. He said that one of the most memorable parts of animal adoption is watching people make connections.
“You will, in real time, see people fall in love with their new pet,” Bardy said. “The reaction when people see that dog or that cat and they just know that is the pet for them, is really a special moment.”
Maura Varley, RAL volunteer and community outreach manager, said RAL selected dogs that would be comfortable around crowds and animals.
“We had volunteers do what we call a ‘crate escape’ where we allow them to come out of the shelter and come to the venue and people were able to see their ‘adopt me’ leashes,” Varley said. “We were able to do complementary adoptions today and we just did what we do in the shelter out in the world here.”
Before animals are available for adoption, RAL conducts an intake process to make sure they are healthy. Varley said RAL animals leave with updated vaccinations, are spayed or neutered and microchipped.
Varley attended Woofstock for the first time and said that the event exceeded her expectations, with the pet parade being a highlight.
Events, such as Woofstock, can expose people to animals in a way social media and shelter websites cannot, Varley said.
“We do as much Facebook posting and we put stuff on the website, but until you come and see, do you really kind of see the need,” Varley said.
Varley said RAL’s shelter partners, particularly organizations in rural areas, helped use the event to introduce their animals to a larger audience. She said the goal was to give animals that need homes as much exposure as possible.
“We’re all in the same boat trying to do the same thing,” Varley said.
Kari Soniat and Pam Pilch, co-owners of Paddy’s Friends Kitten Fosters, returned for their second Woofstock with kittens available for adoption. The pair began working together in 2023 after previous experience with rescues.
Soniat and Pilch foster kittens and evaluate their temperaments to determine which environment the cats would do best in. Their adoption process includes an application, a potential veterinarian reference check, a conversation with the adopter and a meet-and-greet with the cat before reviewing medical records and completing the adoption.
The rescue’s adoption fee is $150 and covers expenses including vaccinations and spaying or neutering. Soniat said the event helped them reach potential adopters who may not otherwise know about their work.
“When you’re a small rescue with just two of you, we have lots of people who help us out,” Soniat said. “It’s such a great way to get our name out, hand out cards, because even if they don’t get adopted today, we always say there’s an echo effect.”
Adriana Wirsch attended with her 5-year-old French bulldog, Suge. She came to support her sister, who volunteers at the Petersburg SPCA. Wirsch adopted Suge around two years ago after he struggled to get along with other dogs in his previous home.
Wirsch also has a kitten named Harley, whom she adopted from the Goochland shelter nearly two months ago, but did not bring to Woofstock.
“If I had a house with a yard, I would adopt a bunch of dogs,” Wirsch said.
Another bulldog owner, Nicky Chance, brought her 3-year-old English bulldog, Athens and 2-year-old French bulldog, Auggie. She said the cooler weather gave her dogs an opportunity to spend more time outside at the festival.
“They’re high maintenance, but they’re very good dogs,” Chance said.
Woofstock was Chance’s first Richmond dog event, but she attends Bully Bash in Ohio each year.
Chance was not looking to adopt after recently losing a dog, but she said she hopes to again one day.
Brad Howle, an attendee for the third consecutive year, came with his family and Rosie, a 3-year-old dog, believed to be a North Carolina cur-terrier mix.
Howle said Rosie was adopted through the Henrico Humane Society and picked up in Powhatan. She went through a year of training to address her tendency to nip.
The event concluded with the announcement of the “RALender” contest winners. Pet owners entered their animals for a chance to appear in RAL’s 2027 calendar, with 13 final contestants.
At the time of Woofstock, the RALender contest raised $108,000.
For more information about RAL, adoptable animals, upcoming events and the RALender, visit ral.org.