They went chasing after balls. They were leaping in the air for Frisbees. They came dressed in costumes. They went bobbing for tennis balls.

It was a dog’s dream come true and more at the Go Dog, Go! Canine Festival at Crestwoods Park in Kirkland Saturday. With 80 vendors, the all-day pooch fest provided fun activities for dogs – as well as their not-so-fuzzy owners.

The event, sponsored by Kirkland Dog Off-Leash Group (KDOG), the City of Kirkland and Kirkland Downtown Association, will help provide dog waste bags in city parks and help fund a future off-leash dog park in Kirkland.

The undeveloped site where dog owners hope to have the first and only off-leash dog park in the city is located at the southwest corner of 113th Avenue N.E. and N.E. 120th Street (just west of the Kirkland Municipal Court building).

“I think we thought we had about twice as many people and twice as much fun,” said KDOG President Jean Guth of the second annual festival. “The event is all volunteer run and we are very appreciative of the KDOG volunteers whose hard work helped to make it a success.”

Chuck Bartlett, owner of Dooley’s Dog House, was among those at the festival who actively pushed for the proposal.

“Now that the council and Parks Department has approved the site, any funds (made from Go, Dog, Go!) will go to clearing land,” Bartlett said, with his beagle Dooley at his side. “It’s not just (about) getting awareness anymore.”

Events included “Cascade Classic Canine Disc Championship,” yoga with your dog, duo or look-alike contest, small dog fashion contest and a Canine Freestyle dancers contest where owners got the chance to dance with their dogs to music.

Dogs also tired their luck at Flyball, a relay race that matches two teams of four dogs each, race side-by-side over a Flyball course. The dogs jump the hurdles and step on a spring loaded box that shoots out a tennis ball. Once they catch the ball, they run back over the four hurdles. When the returning dog crosses the starting line the next dog goes. The first team to have all four dogs run without errors wins the heat.

Rodrigo Garcia, of Seattle, was there with his chocolate lab puppy, Jake, who wore a KDOG bandana. Garcia said it was his first time at a KDOG event since moving to the area from Utah two months ago.

“It’s great to see so many well trained pups,” Garcia said. “We come out to everything we can so we can support dog parks.”

Vendors included KDOG, All the Best Pet Care, The Woodmark Hotel at Carrilon Point and Reading with Rover. Catharine Handfelt was also there with her latest book, “100 Hounds of Kirkland” and other photography projects.

More information

For more information about the Kirkland Dog Off-Leash Group, e-mail kdog@kdog.org or visit www.kdog.org.