Wodac Weekend
- Samantha
- Jul 29, 2015
- 5 min read
As most of you know, the weekend before last was WODAC – World Of Dogs And Cats' 20th anniversary. If you have not heard of WODAC, put it this way, it is the largest pet expo in South Africa. There were many stores selling pet toys, food, health products, and services for dogs, cats, horses, reptiles, birds and rodents. There were animals on show and arenas for dog shows, equestrian shows, and educational talks.
Last year I could not buy all the awesome cat toys I found as Ray had told me I was not allowed to get a cat yet we had not yet decided if we were getting a cat yet. So this year I saved up to go buy each and every one of those toys for my spoilt child. Ray and I went with a trolley in the boot, and takkies on our feet, ready to shop till we dropped.
Im not sure if I only remember all the toys being so amazing because there was actually tons of great stuff, or if it was because I hadn’t spent so much time in pet stores and seen everything, and everything there is, I have now. I miss all the great bright colour, fluffy marshmallow, and sugar coated sweetness of my memories of WODAC last year.
There was still some great stuff on sale. Here are some of the shops we went to and loved;
Cluny Animal Trust – We bought some raffle tickets to support sterilisation, inoculations, de-worming and flea dipping for animals in the Free State.
McMac Trading – We had to pop past this great store as we love our Petstages products, but we were sad to find out that we already have all the cat products.
Pet Masters – We got Isabella a new Mikki Brush for shows. It is very nice for her tail as the teeth are longer than her current brush and the brush itself is half the size of the one we have. So it will be very handy for last min touch ups at a cat show. We also found an amazing little stroller for Isabella, but it was too expensive to get right now, so it will go on our wish list.
Swanky Mongrel – They make such beautiful custom pet beds to your requirements. I love the stunning fabrics available and Ray fell in love with the bed you can see in the top right of the photo. Apparently it will be her birthday/Christmas present.
PetSA – We got Isabella the most amazing cat scratchers/play tree for a really good price. It is such a great quality and it was easy to put together, as Ray has told me. It is her first big tree that she can climb up and not get into trouble for being where she shouldn’t. She loves it! It also has a little feathered ball hanging from the top tier which always goes down well with madam.
Rogz – The best bowls around by far! We got Isabella a spare set of bowls, for her cat show so we always have a set in her travel bag. They had some really big rooftop scratchers which were very cool and Ray loved them. They were very expensive but they were very big. Maybe when we have a bigger house and we can make a cat room for Isabella and her friend? Who knows what might happen.
Save Me Rescue – Ray got to see some cool little reptiles. He has a very big spot in his heart for all reptiles after he had to re-home his two bearded dragons when we moved in together. Our complex does not allow any other pets. You can have a dog or a cat. That's it.
Dragonfly Harness – If you have been following us for a while you know how much Isabella loves her Dragonfly Harness. Tanya is such an amazing person with tons of talent. Her harnesses are of such great quality. They're long lasting, well-fitting and super stylish! It is her first WODAC and she sold so many harnesses for dogs, cats, monkeys, ferrets and even lizzards. Isabella has had quite a growth spurt lately and has outgrown her cute little pink harness we got for her many months ago, so she got a cute big girl purple one. She loves it and looks all grown up now.
Meister Trading – Another good friend of ours. Oliver is Cherylee’s husband. You might remember her from helping us with our very first cat show. We stocked up on some cat litter, Cat’s Best, zaBird refills, I got her three this time as they don’t last very long. She loves carrying them around like her babies, such pride and loves. Most mornings you wake up with the zaBird in the bed with you, specially Monday morning after WODAC. It was her way of saying thank you. If you have not seen or heard of these products, or have seen them around but not sure if you should get any, stay tuned.
Last but not least was Kittycat Magazine. I worked at the Kittycat stand on Saturday, after I had sent Ray home with the shopping trolley AND to go assemble the cat tree, as well as Sunday. After weeks of helping Jenni make toys and pack blankets etc. it was so good to finally be there. After spending so much time making all these sweet toys, I couldn’t resist getting some for myself. I got some car stickers, Catnip mice, Blankets and ribbon teasers.
We landed up raising a good amount of money that went to Cat-a-holics, The Cat Samaritan, and Fairland Ferals. We also sold tons of kitty rings (sold out on the first day) and Jackson Galaxy Spirit Essences. I did kitty face paint for the kids and it was a total hit!
Some other stands that were great to see were Amazing Bengals selling their kitty wheels, Dashuand Club SA, Gourmet Fudge and of course the cat hall to see all our friends. I loved seeing the big Huskies, German Shepard’s, Irish Wolfhounds and Saint Bernard’s walking around and seeing the people.
My let downs of the show, all the items you could buy at the expo you could buy at a pet store for the same price, I expected it to be products that are harder to find and/or new products. There were also a lot less for cats this year, compared to the previous year and a lot of people commented on this. For the 20th anniversary, I expected something huge and fun but it was less than normal. It was hard to get food, the queues were very long and there were very limited options. People working at the stands had to brave the busy queues to get food with all the people attending the show, and this meant the stand was left for way too long.
As an overall weekend, it was very fun and great to see the animals and people. It was so wonderful working at a stand and meeting so many wonderful animal loving people. I look forward to next year!!
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