What’s new at the Long Island Pet Expo in Brentwood

An interactive parrot show and pop-up boutiques selling the latest trends and treats are among the new attractions afoot and in the air at the Long Island Pet Expo.

The added attractions were “driven by social media” trends and requests from expo attendees, says Karen Garetano, coproducer for expo-host Family Pet Shows in Huntington Station. This year’s expo hits  Suffolk Federal Credit Union Arena in Brentwood March 1-2. 

“More and more boutique mom-and-pop businesses are popping up serving all aspects of pet ownership … from homemade, custom food solutions to handmade pet accessories,” Garetano adds in an emailed statement.

Here are five things not to miss at the annual pet extravaganza.

Parley with the parrots

Parties by Parrots, a rescue organization new to the expo, is colorful, educational and interactive, says owner Gerald Burch, of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

Burch says he owns 250 rescue parrots including hyacinths, scarlets, cockatoos, macaws and baby cockatiels. Several of Burch’s parrots will be on hand performing, interacting with expo-goers and doing tricks at Burch’s command.

Burch says his show usually spotlights Stella, an umbrella cockatoo who is “one of the best talkers I have,” he says. “She’ll say, ‘Hello, I’m Stella, give me a kiss’ or ‘I love you’.”

Stormy, a rose-breasted cockatoo, “likes to fly to your head and shake his wings and his tail feather, and it looks like he’s dancing,” Burch says.

If you want to add a colorful friend to your family, some of the parrots are offered for adoption, at fees ranging from $200 to $5,000.

Shop the animal boutiques

Behr’s Boutique, founded in 2022 by Jessica Oxer, of Cold Spring Harbor, and her mother, Pamela Serla, will be among a half-dozen pop-up shops on the expo floor. Oxer says she founded Behr’s during the pandemic when “we had a struggle finding quality items and accessories” for a dog she adopted. Oxer used her sewing skills to make items for her own pet, for friends who admired her handiwork and eventually to develop an online and pop-up business. Behr’s specializes in “handmade quality products with patterns that match your pet’s style.” Prices start at $18 for an extra-small bandanna, $28 for collars and $32 for leashes.

Other participating boutiques include Debbie’s Doggie Delights (healthy dog and cat treats) from New Milford, New Jersey, and Rehoboth Beach, Delaware-based Salty Paws, which serves up ice cream for dogs.

See the doggie-lympics

Doggie U K9 Academy in Bay Shore will be demonstrating agility, a competitive sport for dogs that is “becoming more and more popular,” says academy owner Rolissa Nash. “It’s the Olympics” for dogs, says Nash, who entered the recent Westminster agility competition with several Doggie U human and canine students. The expo will feature 15 “dogs of different breeds and in various stages of training,” running 10 obstacles such as tunnels and jumps on a course set up inside the arena, Nash says. The trainers will also guide showgoers’ dogs through the course.

Bring your fur baby, or adopt

No need to leave your furry friend at home because the family dog or cat can come with you if they are leashed and well behaved.

If you seek canine companionship, mixed-breed puppies and adult dogs will be available to begin the adoption process with Long Island-based One Love Dog Rescue, one of six animal rescue organizations setting up booths at the expo. Cecilia McAloney, 54, of Ronkonkoma, from One Love Dog Rescue, says adopters “are giving the rescues a chance at a life which they wouldn’t have had.”

Teach Thumper the bunny hop

Bring your pet rabbit along for a hare-raising experience with Tammy Steele from Adventure Bunny Rabbit Hopping in Lebanon, Pennsylvania. Steele will offer classes from 9 to 11 a.m. on Saturday and Sunday in how to safely and properly fit a harness for rabbit agility competitions ($36, sign up at rabbithopping.com).