Being a huge animal lover there was no way I was going to miss Belfast Telegraph's Pet Expo this weekend, so it came as a pleasant surprise when my sister Nicole texted me a couple of weeks ago to tell me she'd won a pair of tickets, or really, her dog Riley had won them for us!
She'd entered him into the "Top Pets of Northern Ireland" competition and he was chosen as one of the lucky winners, securing us two free tickets to the expo and his photo printed in the Belfast Telegraph.
Meet The Breeds
We arrived at the Expo around noon and before we'd even entered the hall we'd spotted a Cockpoo puppy, a parti-coloured Standard Poodle and beautiful Newfoundland. This is a dog lover's paradise.
Our first stop was the dog breed exhibition area. Every few metres we'd find a different breed of dog, each with their own stories, kind owners and wagging tails.
I've been to a lot of dog shows over the years and met all kinds of breeds, so I get really excited when I get the opportunity to pet a breed I've never seen in person before. Today that happened when I met these dogs who couldn't look more different! The gorgeous blue and white American Bully, and this toy breed, the Imperial Shih Tzu.
I have such a soft spot for these beautiful dogs. Pictured here are Australian Shepherds; Luna, Beetlejuice and Venus.
An older, silvering Old English Mastiff, and a 17 week old Leonberger puppy.
Another breed I don't often come across is the Lagotto Romagnolo. This gorgeous pair are Leo and Lexi, aren't they so sweet?
Chongqing
At one point, I heard my surname being shouted across the hall. When I tuned to see who was calling me I realised the caller was instead trying to get the attention of their dog, this unusual guy pictured below. "Keyser" is a Chinese Chongqing.
Never before had I even heard of this rare breed, and today I got to meet three of them, including two adorable little puppies.
The Cat Hall
If you needed a break from slobbery mouths and rambunctious greetings, you could wander into the cat hall where you'd find various subdued felines. British Shorthair kittens are fairly hard to beat in terms of cute-factor, but the Ragamuffin kitten I spotted could give them a run for their money.
A cat that looks like it came straight out of the African plain, the beautiful leopard-like Bengal.
The Farm
The Expo wasn't just home to dogs and cats. To my delight they also had a farm area, with donkeys, llamas, sheep, goats, guinea pigs and rabbits. I can confirm that the Mini Rex bunnies are the softest things I've ever touched.
Seriously, how cute is this kid? The bunnies were so adorable too. I couldn't resist a cuddle.
The Reptile House
One of my highlights of the afternoon was getting the chance to hold a Fat-tailed Gecko. His scaly back was very soft, and when viewed front-on it looks like he's smiling! They store fat and water in their tails, but it also doubles-up as their defence mechanism. When a predator gets too close they will self-amputate their tail in a matter of seconds to distract the chaser and run to safety.
It was great to spot a range of snakes, scorpions, lizards and frogs at the exhibition too.
Until Next Time
The Pet Expo was wonderful. We had the pleasure of meeting so many lovely animals and people, and I came away with the tastiest caramel squares in existence. I hope it returns next year!
