To the Rescue! Coldwell Banker Canada’s Southwest Realty Gets Set for Dog Festival This weekend in Sarnia

June 14, 2023 

 

Karley Chamberlain of Coldwell Banker Southwest Realty in Sarnia, Ont., has a big weekend coming up for some loveable clients looking to find forever homes. 

The popular Dog Festival presented by the Coldwell Banker Homes for Dogs Project happens Saturday, June 17, at the Fox & Hound Canine Retreat.   

 

 

“We’ll have a full Shelter Showcase with as many rescue dogs as we can at the time,” said Chamberlain, who serves as a Marketing Coordinator in the brokerage.  

“We’ll have a designated person with them, walking around with them the whole day, taking care of them, and we’ll have big bandanas on them saying Adopt Me, and they’ll be on stage, too,” she said. “Hopefully, we’ll get all of those dogs adopted.”  

Dogs like Benji. 

 

 

Benji finds his way home 

Benji was adopted as a puppy by Steve and Kristin Persichetti through the festival a couple of years ago. They think he’s a collie-retriever mix. They know he’s a character. 

“He’s part of the family and he’s got personality,” Steve laughed. “He doesn’t have much of that retriever energy, though. He’s a little bit to himself at times, but, when he wants attention, he’ll come and ask for it.” 

Benji’s eyes are mesmerizing, Steve said. 

“He’s got this look in his eyes, almost human-like,” he said. “He moves his eyes a lot. Most dogs, I think, look around with their heads, but he looks around with his eyes, and it just reminds me of a human the way he does it and the way you can see the whites of his eyes when he looks up or sideways at you.”  

Benji was rescued from northern Ontario. His heritage still plays out clearly and joyfully in Kristin and Steve’s backyard in Camlachie—in winter.   

“He loves the winter more than anything,” Steve said.  

“We had a rink during Covid and he’d be running on the ice like it wasn’t ice—all day long. I was flooding the rink, he was jumping at the water, it was freezing on him, he just wanted to stay out there.” 

 

 

A festival of dogs 

The fifth annual festival takes place on four hectares of pasture at the sprawling Fox & Hound Canine Retreat farm, 15 km northeast of Sarnia. Last year, 1,500 people showed up. This year, double that number are expected.  

“It’s the biggest event of the year for our brokerage,” said Chamberlain. 

“All my agents love to participate in this,” she said. “Everyone is volunteering. Everyone’s family is volunteering. Some of our clients come back to volunteer. It’s a really awesome way for our office to collaborate. I think it’s a true testament to what our office culture is—supporting each other and supporting the community.” 

 

 

Besides the opportunity to adopt a rescue dog from the Sarnia & District Humane Society in the Shelter Showcase, attendees are promised a day of fun and learning. There will be:  

• dock diving demonstrations ($10 for three tries)  

• a dog agility course (free) 

• a lure coursing track ($5) 

• an off-leash play area 

• dog trick shows,  

• food and vendors, and 

• a face painter, bouncy castle, dunk tank, giveaways, a raffle table and more. 

 

 

Since 2019, more than 200 dogs have been adopted and $146,000 raised. That money, earmarked for the humane society, is where the $10 adult entry fee goes. Children and dogs get in free.  

 

 

Those who are serious about adopting a dog can expect to be interviewed by a humane society representative. Questions include, do you have other pets? Do you have a fence yard? Have you owned a pet before? Do you own another pet now? and so on.  

 

“An overall bond is also what you look for when you see potential adopters interacting with the dog,” Chamberlain explained.

“For example, do they know how to handle that size of breed? Does the dog seem to like them or want to run away? Are they aware of the dog’s history and how to handle it if it was from an abusive home or not house trained?  

 

 

 

Dog people 

Chamberlain herself is a dog person who works for a real estate company unique in its ongoing commitment to finding homes for dogs. 

“We’ve been helping people find their homes for 117 years, and this initiative extends that to dogs finding their homes, too,” Chamberlain said.  

“You want to find a home for a rescue dog as much as you want to find a home for a person, just on a different level. People love dogs. It’s so easy to put your heart into something like that.” 

Homes for Dogs started as an initiative of Coldwell Banker in the United States. It has been adopted by Coldwell Banker Canada, where affiliates have volunteered time, organized supply drives, raised and donated money, taken to social media and hosted and helped at local adoption events.  

 

 

Summer Scott, Coldwell Banker Canada’s Vice-President, Marketing & Communications, has been personally involved with animal rescue for 13 years.  

“In Canada, not only do we advocate for this cause because it’s embedded into our brand, but also because it is something we all truly care about,” Scott said.  

“I feel extremely lucky that I work for a company that recognizes the importance of giving rescue dogs and other animals a second chance at their”—at which point Scott pauses for just a beat—“fur-ever home.”  

 

 

Happy ever-afters 

The event requires the combined heart, money and work of volunteers, animal rescue staff and sponsors.  

“We get the same sponsors coming back year after year with more and more to offer,” said Chamberlain. “This year our title sponsor is one or our very own agent-run businesses called Cozy Up Stays.”  

The event also means lots of meetings for the Coldwell Banker Southwest Realty team. 

“With our committee at the brokerage, we meet every other week for about three months,” Chamberlain said. “We collaborate on how to make the event different and unique and memorable.”  

So that there will be more stories like Benji. 

“He’s happy to have us in the house, we’re happy to have him, he’s just a great companion,” said Steve Perischetti. “I come back to the eyes. You can understand him and understand what he’s thinking, and we’ve bonded.”  

Steve thanked the program and its sponsors through the years. He thanked wife Kristin, too, for nudging him along the path to adopt Benji. The couple had just gotten a new house, they were doing renovations, and Steve said he wasn’t quite ready for a dog.  

“Sometimes,” Steve said, “you just jump in.”