Information Regarding Participating In Dogtoberfest

  • Your pooch is the participant. The minimum donation to participate is $25 per dog.
  • Participation Includes:
    • Entry for all family members of the participating dog
    • Access to all Dogtoberfest event areas (except VIP)
    • Event t-shirt for you (1)
    • Event bandanna for your dog (1)
    • Goodie Bag (1)
    • Trick or Treating with your dog through the “Haunted Forest”
    • Off leash privileges in a portion of the park, for pets that meet the following guidelines:

All dogs must be current with their vaccines, and should wear their current license tags.  For safety reasons, male dogs 8 month of age and older must be neutered.  In general neutering tends to lessen any aggressive tendencies a male dog may have toward other dogs.  (FCNMHP believes that all dogs should be spayed and neutered unless used for breeding).  While off leash, you must keep an eye on your dog at all times.  If annoying (to the other dog or its owner) or aggressive behavior is observed, take immediate action;  either move your dog to another part of the park, leave the park, or do whatever you have to do to prevent the behavior (time-out to redirect behavior, etc.)

For safety reasons, children must be at least 4 feet tall to go into the off leash area.  Carried babies no older than 12 months may be taken into all areas of the off leash, as well as children of all ages in strollers, but parents with strollers are warned to be very careful when an unknown dog gets near the stroller.  Children will be expected to play in an adult manner in the off leash section with no running, no chasing dogs, no petting of others’ dogs unless permission is granted by the owners first, and must at all times be in close proximity to their adult guardian. 

Puppies must be at least 12 weeks of age to be off leash.  The safest collar for your dog to wear off leash is a flat buckle collar (actually a breakaway collar is even safer).  We do not allow dogs in the off leash part of the park to wear prong or pinch collars.  These are training collars and should not be left on a dog when it plays.  We highly discourage the use of choke chain collars, as these can be dangerous.  No shock collars.

Digging is not allowed.  If your dog does dig a hole, do your best to fill it in.  No more than 3 dogs per person.  No dogs in heat, sick dogs or dogs with fleas or possible contagious skin conditions. 


General Admission

The park is open to the public for free admission.  However a minimum donation of $5 per adult, or children over the age 6 is requested to benefit homeless pets in the Jacksonville area.   

Children under age 6 we request a minimum donation of $1 each.  We also recommend a $25 family donation for admission.   A $25 minimum donation per dog gets the family into the park, and qualifies the pet dog to a goodie bag and one T-shirt for the owner.  

Visa, Mastercard accepted. 


Please start asking your friends, co-workers and neighbors for pledges now to help raise money for First Coast No More Homeless pets, and go to www.firstgiving.com/dogtoberfest  to set up a web page where you can track your fundraising success.  OR, bring a sheet with your donations documented with you to the event.  In either case, we appreciate you spreading the word about the need for spay/neuter funding to help end the senseless killing of the pet overpopulation here in the Jacksonville area.  About 100 pets are taken in every day, and about 70 of them are killed due to pet overpopulation.  Will you please help us? 


Thanks!  We look forward to seeing you and having some fun at Dogtoberfest 2009 at Metropolitan Park!