Viva Las Vegas pets

Halloween comes early to Mountain’s Edge with a special Halloween costume contest for pets during the annual Family, Fur &Fun Festival on Oct. 19 at Exploration Park at the Mountain’s Edge master-planned community.

Pets of all shapes and sizes are invited to participate. Categories include: Best in Show, Best Family (can include pet owners and/or multiple pets), Funniest Costume and Cutest Costume. The entry fee is $3 per category with registration at the festival. Organized by Las Vegas Hot Diggity Dachshund Club &Rescue, the costume contest will begin at 1:30 p.m. Also for Halloween, information will be shared to keep pets safe during the holiday.

Now in its seventh year, the Family, Fur &Fun Festival is 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., and is designed to raise awareness about the importance of adopting animals in shelters, fostering animals until they can be adopted, volunteering and spaying and neutering. The event also provides information to keep pets healthy and slim, incorporate them into the family, and include them in planning should a home fire or flood occur.

Drs. Jason and Jamie Sulliban of Aloha Animal Hospital will be there answer questions about providing proper animal care.

A variety of other booths and activities include separate cat and dog adoption areas, dog agility demonstrations, naming new shelter animals, free nail trimming, raffle prizes and refreshments.

Dog races for small- to medium-size dogs will begin at noon. The cost per race is $3 with registration at the event.

Arica of Pet’ographique will offer special $25 pricing for pet portraits, and Good Canine Citizen testing will be offered for $5. Proceeds from these sales, the Halloween contest, dog races and raffle will benefit local rescue programs.

Event attendees are invited to bring new and gently used items for the nonprofit Barks 4 Blankets organization to help dogs in need at animal shelters and in dog rescue and fostering groups. Barks 4 Blankets representatives will be collecting donations at a table at the park entrance. Items may include blankets, dog houses, dog sweaters and jackets, and dog beds, toys, food, water bowls, leashes and collars.

The 80-acrea Exploration Park is at 9275 S. Buffalo Drive, south of the Buffalo and Blue Diamond Road intersection past the Mountain’s Edge entrance.

Family, Fur &Fun Festival sponsors include: Law Office of Donna Stidham LLC, Mountain’s Edge Master Planned Community, Aloha Animal Hospital, Arica of Pet’ographique, NutriSource, English Garden Florist, Amica Insurance and At Your Service Pet Supplies.

For information, visit www.familyfurandfun.com or www.mountainsedge.com, call 702-444-3713, or email info@familyfurandfun.com.

Event attendees also are invited to explore Mountain’s Edge, the No. 3 fastest-selling master-planned community in the country. The 3,200-acre community is anchored by Exploration Park and its signature 2,846-foot-tall Exploration Peak, which offers hiking and biking trails and views of the Las Vegas Valley.

Home choices are accessible to key employment centers, transportation arterials, and Las Vegas Strip offerings. The community’s homebuilders feature dozens of floor plans for every lifestyle. The master plan also has other outdoor and recreational amenities with walking trails, paseos and the new Nathaniel Jones Park. In addition, construction has begun on the first phase of the Mountain’s Edge Regional Park.

Current Mountain’s Edge homebuilders include DR Horton, Harmony Homes, KB Home, Lennar, Pulte Homes, Richmond American Homes, Ryland Homes and William Lyon Homes. They’re offering incentives and promotions.

The Mountain’s Edge Information Center remains a hub of information for home shoppers. It is open daily from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at 9275 S. Buffalo Drive, or call 702-898-5777 or visit www.mountainsedge.com.