On Friday, October 16, our team set up a booth at Hand in Paw’s Barktoberfest at Cahaba Brewing Company in Birmingham. It is Hand in Paw’s dog-friendly take on Barktoberfest, with a pet costume contest and a stein hoist competition. We decided to bring a carnival.
Step right up
Marissa Lemons, our Director of Veterinary Relations and Outreach, and Olivia Swader, our Director of Client Care Operations, planned our booth. It had a ring toss and a spin-to-win prize wheel stocked with mini cauldrons, carnival boxes, coloring pages and swag.
We also helped sponsor the free live caricature drawings, so pet parents could go home with a portrait of themselves and their dog. Watching people see their drawings for the first time might have been our favorite part of the night. Morty would disagree.
The costume contest
Our team entered as carnival performers: clowns, ringmasters, a bearded lady and a lion. Then Morty, Marissa’s French bulldog, took the stage to show off his tricks for the crowd.
If his face looked familiar, he made his television debut earlier that week on WBRC FOX 6’s Good Day Alabama. He joined our founder, Dr. Lindsay Floyd, for the station’s series on the true cost of owning a pet. He handled both audiences like a pro, and he was a hit. We can say that with complete objectivity.
Why we show up for Hand in Paw
Barktoberfest supports Hand in Paw’s animal-assisted therapy programs. Since 1996, Hand in Paw has trained volunteer therapy teams, people and their pets, to visit hospitals, schools and care communities. Those visits are always free to the places they serve. You can volunteer, request a visit or give on their website.
Most days, our work happens in living rooms, at the hardest moment of a pet’s life. A night like this one is the other side of it: pet families on a good day, and colleagues from other clinics around Birmingham. It reminds us what we are here to protect, which is the bond between people and their pets.
Where to find Hand in Paw next
Hand in Paw’s next events are Santa Paws Pet Photos on Saturday, November 14, from 10 a.m. to noon at its Training Center in Birmingham, and Mutt Strut, a dog-friendly 5K and fun run, on April 3, 2027 at Homewood Central Park. See Hand in Paw’s events page for details.
We are here for the hard days, too
If your pet is getting older, or you are wondering what comes next, our first step is a 10-minute call. We listen, ask about your pet’s quality of life and talk through what your family wants. Read how an in-home pet euthanasia visit works.
We serve the Birmingham area, East Alabama including Anniston, Gadsden and Ohatchee, and West Alabama including Tuscaloosa and Northport. We are available seven days a week, 7 a.m. to 9 p.m., and we accept CareCredit (see our pricing page). Call (205) 267-4466 or reach out online.
You focus on loving them. We’ll handle the rest.