A diverse group of furred and feathered animals took over Hawrelak Park Sunday afternoon as part of the 20th Pets in the Park festival.

“A dog’s day, a cat’s day. We’ve seen some hedgehogs here, some parrots, some snakes. Any kind of animal,” said Shawna Randolph, spokesperson for the Edmonton Humane Society.

Shawna Randolph, spokeswoman for the Humane Society, says the festival is a major fundraiser for the non-profit, and they are hoping to bring in around $145,000 this year. (CBC News)

For the past two decades, the festival has served as one of the biggest fundraisers for the Humane Society.

Aside from the annual fun run through the park, the festival hosted sheep-herding displays, frisbee-catching demonstrations and areas where pet owners could get their animals fitted with ID microchips.

For some owners, it was just a chance to get their pet out to socialize with other animals. Jenny Sparrow says she wasn’t sure how her family’s pot-bellied pig, Minnie, would react to all the other animals around, but things went surprisingly well.

“She was doing tricks when we got here this morning, and there were 4-5 dogs sniffing every part of her, and she was still doing her tricks,” said Jenny Sparrow.

The Humane Society aims to raise around $145,000 during the festival this year.

“We depend on this kind of support. We bring in about 13,000 animals per year, and this goes a long way in helping to care for them,” said Randolph.

She said they expected around 10,000 people, plus pets, to attend this year.