Bark for a good cause: The Bywater Bark Market

The Bywater Bark Market, a dog lover’s paradise, is a variation on the monthly Bywater Art Market and benefits the LA/SPCA heartworm fund. Blake Vonder Haar, human member of a four dog, three cat family, is also the president and founder of both markets. She answered the following questions about the next Bark Market, on Saturday, October 17.

What is the history of the Bywater Bark Market? I started it in October 2008 after I adopted a dog from the LA/SPCA. She's such a sweetheart, and she's changed my life. I wanted to do something to give back. I've subsequently added 3 more rescues to the family.

I'm looking forward to bringing a dog client with me to the Bark Market. What should I expect?
The Bark Market is a fundraiser, so we ask for a voluntary $3 donation at the gate. We have dog washes for a $10 donation and several rescue groups with their charges doing adoptions and outreach. We also have some dog-related vendors, including Canine Connection; Heaven on Earth Dog Day Care and Spa; Heaven's Pets; Petcetera; and Zeus' Place. Pet artist Aidi Kansas will be on hand to paint dog portraits (all proceeds go the LA/SPCA), plus the regular artists will have dog-related art.

Do all proceeds from the day go to the LA/SPCA's heartworm fund? All dog-related stuff goes to the LA/SPCA fund, including the donations at the gate, dog wash, a portion of the Bark Market t-shirts, and all the dog specific vendors’ fees, plus if there is any animal art sold we ask that artists make a 10% donation.

Last time we were able to make a donation of more than $3,700 to the heartworm fund.  This, in conjunction with donations of medicine and veterinary care, helps pay for the treatment for dogs that are otherwise perfectly adoptable but heartworm positive. It can be very expensive to treat a dog that's already got worms; it's so much easier to prevent it than treat it.

Any funny pet-related stories or anecdotes from past Bark Markets? The dog wash is always  a hoot – one dog jumped out of the tub and went running down the sidewalk with the tub still attached to his harness!

How many dogs usually attend with their owners? I would guess that we had about 350 dogs during the course of the day last time.

Anything else NewOrleans.com readers and pet lovers should know? The microchipping is a great deal. It's $25, which includes a $5 donation to the LA/SPCA, and chip registration. Chips are useless unless they're registered, and with free chipping a lot of people don't bother to register them.

The chip company agreed to donate them as long as they were registered on the spot. It's been very difficult to get both the chips and the vet lined up at the same time, and this time we lucked out with very generous donations for both, so please take advantage of this unique opportunity. The chipping will take place from 10 am to 2 pm only, and pitbulls can get chipped for $20.

Also, please note all pets must be on leash at all times.

The next Bywater Bark Market takes place Saturday, October 17 at Markey Park, at Royal and Piety Sts., from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.. Visit www.art-restoration.com/bam for further information.

[This interview has been edited for length and clarity.]

Jennifer Coleman is the Founder & Owner of Jellicle Pet Sitting and Jellicle Lagniappe.