Across the nation, Harris Rosen, owner and president of Rosen Hotels & Resorts, is known more for his philanthropic work than his hospitality work. Over the 45 years Rosen Hotels & Resorts has been serving the community by providing comfortable and luxurious places to stay, associates in the company have been working equally hard giving back to the community, just as Harris has done. Part of our philanthropic endeavors include taking care of the precious animals in our community. That’s why in 2017 we partnered with the oldest and largest animal welfare agency in Florida, Pet Alliance.
Pet Alliance has served Central Florida and its animals since 1937 by providing shelter, food, and care to dogs and cats until they can find their fur-ever homes. Last year, more than 6,000 dogs and cats were cared for by Pet Alliance. It takes a lot of money and volunteers to run this operation, and that’s where the community steps in.

Paws in the Park 2020
On February 8, 2020, hundreds of humans and their dogs will gather at Lake Eola for the annual Paws in the Park festival. Major local companies and organizations send volunteers to represent their support for animal welfare, and that participation comes with a donation as well. This family-friendly and fun event is open to the public. You can manage your own fundraiser or show up and buy tickets for some of the fun dog activities.

Walk around Lake Eola
The day starts with a ceremonial walk around Lake Eola. Hundreds of dogs make this 1 mile walk with their caretakers. After that, the games begin! Most of these fun games and activities for the dogs require tickets (costs vary based on the activity), so check with the volunteer staff who explain where to buy tickets. A line of dogs eagerly waiting to participate in an activity might mean there will also be a wait time, so plan accordingly.

Dock Diving
For the water-loving dogs great at flying off of a dock and into water all for a thrown ball, there’s the dock diving challenge. This popular event draws in the crowds. This event takes center stage yearly as people cheer on dogs to see who can “fly” the longest distance.

Lure Course
For dogs with a strong small prey drive, this course will have their rapt attention long before they get to run the course. This is definitely another extremely popular course. You’ll need to purchase a ticket and you may have to add your doggie to a wait list that can extend to an hour or longer. The lure, a small plastic bag, is tied to a line and dragged along a course by a pulley system forward and backward at various speeds. Dogs who have that drive go bonkers for this activity, like my dog.

Agility Course
Dogs who love to follow commands as encouragement to climb A-frames, run through tunnels, fly over jumpers, and deftly maneuver through weavers need to spend some energy here. The line here is typically short, which makes this event great as a time filler if you end up waiting for the dock dive or lure course. Do not miss this attraction if you think your dog is Westminster-worthy in the agility category.

For Hoomans
A large part of this event is dedicated to us humans along for the ride. Experts will be on hand to give seminars on animal welfare, training, and overall care. Numerous vendors set up shop selling house-made treats, clothing, leads, costumes, and t-shirts for humans and dogs to wear with various declarations of love and admiration for our four-legged babies (and humans). Veterinarians are on hand to promote their services as well as mom and pop shops selling holistic remedies.

Of course, a day of playing, walking, and shopping builds an appetite. Food trucks are parked on the outskirts providing a wonderful array of healthy and decadent eating. This food is for humans, but who is anyone to stop you from feeding your hungry dog some savory scraps? Although, we do not suggest you share your beverage from the beer garden with your dog.
Finally, there is one more feature to the fair specifically designed to capture our attention: the adoption booths. After all, Pet Alliance’s main goal is help find fur-ever homes for lovable dogs and cats, so of course they’re going to show off some dogs worthy of our love. If you’re here on vacation and easily drawn to adorable puppy-dog eyes and wagging tails, maybe it would be good to wave hi to these little fellows from afar. Don’t say we didn’t warn you!

Pet-Friendly Hotel
With Rosen hotels, you’ll find dogs are welcome at all properties. This means you can enjoy a vacation designed for humans and doggies. Spend a day at the theme park either before or after Paws in the Park, then give your four-legged love a “theme park” day at this event. It’s cheaper than an actual theme park visit and most of the proceeds go to helping animals in need in the Central Florida area. Also, associates from our company will be there. If you see anyone wearing a purple shirt that says Rosen Community Hero, please say hi! We’ll be there with our dogs, and we’d love to meet you. To check for availability at our hotels for your family and dog, please click on Check Availability above.