Date of Article: October 07, 2009

Meet the Breeds at Jacob Javits Center
on October 17-18, 2009:
Event of the Century for Dog & Cat Lovers

The American Kennel Club® (AKC) and the Cat Fanciers’ Association® (CFA) invite every doggie devotee and feline fan from the tri-state area and beyond to attend Meet the Breeds presented by Pet Partners, Inc. at the Jacob Javits Center in New York City on October 17-18, 2009. Meet the Breeds is the world’s largest showcase of cats and dogs and offers the public the rare opportunity to meet nearly 200 breeds and interact with dogs, cats, puppies and kittens.

Tickets at a special pre-event price ($10 for adults and $6 for kids) are available now at www.meetthebreeds.com. Each ticket offers access to:

• Nearly 160 dog and 41 cat breeds, each in its own designated booth, decorated to reflect the heritage of the breed and its characteristics and unique attributes as a pet.
• Top experts in every pet-related field including breeding, training, grooming, nutrition and first-aid.
• Over 85 vendors selling everything a dog, cat or the person who loves them could need or want, including faux fur-lined designer dog beds and pendants made from your pets’ own nose print.
• Five rings with simultaneous demonstrations and activities including law enforcement K9s, agility, obedience, dog and cat breed showcases and "Cat Idol."
• A display of artwork by 150 local students, grades 1-12, who entered the Meet the Breeds Student Art Contest.
• Games and give-aways at the PetPartners booth including free collar tag engraving, a Wii pet agility game, kids' coloring area, a balloon artist and the opportunity to turn your tot into a dog or cat with the wonderful face painting skills of Bella Faccia Painting by Diane.
• Decide the winners by voting for the "Best Dog Booth in Show" and the "Best Cat Booth in Show" competitions on Saturday. The winning booths will be announced on Sunday and receive $500 each from WebVet.com.

With Meet the Breeds running just one weekend, the AKC and CFA will be sending their four-footed friends out en masse across the city throughout the prior week to ensure that no one misses out on news about the event. On Monday, October 12, Italian dog breeds and will march in the 65th Annual Columbus Day Parade down Fifth Avenue; on Wednesday, October 14 at a Press Preview at the Affinia Hotel, street teams wearing hand-made dog and cat masks will be unleashed to greet pedestrians and commuters and handout free photo-frame magnets; and on Thursday, October 15 the AKC and CFA – and a varied contingent of dogs and cats – will ring the NASDAQ closing bell in Times Square.

The AKC and CFA will also announce the winner of the Pet Preference Poll on www.meetthebreeds.com on Wednesday the 14th. For the past two month the organizations have asked "Are you a dog or cat person?" in order to determine whether dogs or cats are leaders of the pack when it comes to pet lovers.

Don’t miss any of the fun! Get your tickets now at www.meetthebreeds.com. Proud sponsors of Meet the Breeds include Invisible Fence® Brand, ADT Security Services, Dog.com and Petmate. Visit our sponsor page for more information.