3rd annual Howl-O-Ween Puppy Pawlooza set for Saturday

Special to Leader-Press

Look for dogs to splash in Copperas Cove’s City Park Pool, compete in the howling contest along with their owners,  find their way through the obstacle course, jump hurdles and more all while dressed in costume after taking a walk through City Park to save3r the lives of their fellow abandoned animals.  
The Copperas Cove Five Hills royalty have partnered with the Copperas Cove Parks and Recreation Department to co-host the 3rd Annual Howl-O-Ween Puppy Pawlooza which gets under way with event registration at 8 a.m., along with the opening of the obstacle course, animal adoption, vendors, and the pool being open for a dog splash. The 1-mile run/walk starts at 9 a.m. The hot dog eating contest starts at 10 a.m., followed by the howling contest at 10:30 a.m.
Entrance to the event is free to the walk, costume contest and howling contest with a donation of pet items for the local animal shelter.  A cash donation is asked for the pool splash and the hot dog eating contest is $3 for contestants will all money raised benefitting the Copperas Cove Animal Control Facility.
Five Hills Junior Ambassador Kaydence Weary chaired the event last year and returns as the event’s co-chair this year with Pre-Teen Miss Five Hills Emily Kimball. Weary has a dog, Cesare, which she rescued after it was abandoned.
“I love dogs.  When I was told that I had to have a platform of service to enter the pageant, I knew it would be to save the lives of dogs,” said Weary who has been working on the event since July. “I am so excited to save the lives of animals.”
This year, two new events have been added to the morning of festivities including a howling contest for both dogs and their human owners, and a hot dog eating contest sponsored by Sonic Drive-In Restaurant at Clear Creek. 
Kimball’s platform of service is the humane treatment of animals and she has been working on the puppy pawlooza event since July.
“The reason I entered the Five Hills Pageant was so I could work on my service platform, which is ensuring the humane treatment of animals. I chose this platform because of my never ending love for all animals and because I want to create an even bigger bond between house pets and their owners,” Kimball said. “This event is a very sensational bonding experience for animal lovers and their pets. I really hope to see everyone there for a very fun time and an exciting experience.”
Copperas Cove Walmart and Domino’s Pizza are the corporate sponsors of the event. Copperas Cove H-E-B, Starbucks, Philly Pretzels and many businesses and school groups have donated toward the event.  The Scotty Ray Band will provide live music. The goal is to raise $8,000 in supplies and cash donations for the shelter. 
“Anytime the Parks and Recreation Department can join forces with a community sponsor to create and develop a great community event which aims to raise monies for our animal shelter, it’s a huge win for our community,” said Copperas Cove Parks and Recreation Director Joe Brown. “We are really looking forward to this event.”