Leashed dogs and their families will take over the West Allis Farmers Market on Sunday, September 27, from noon to 4 p.m. for Pawtoberfest, a community festival packed with more than 30 vendors, food trucks, live music, stage shows, pet blessings, bingo and raffle baskets. The event benefits local pet rescues and shelters and is open to the entire family, with well-behaved, leashed pets welcome throughout the market grounds.
The gathering is hosted by the City of West Allis, WI Government in partnership with the After-Hours Rotary Satellite Club of West Allis, the volunteer group that organizes the festival each year. That Rotary club holds its own planning meetings on the fourth Tuesday of each month, shifting its summer sessions to Ope! Brewing Co., according to the Rotary Club of West Allis. This marks the sixth year the festival has been held, following its founding four years before the 2024 event, per Radio Milwaukee.
Local Breweries Pour Cold Beer for a Good Cause
Cold beer will flow courtesy of two West Allis craft breweries, Ope! Brewing Co. and Perspective Brewing Co., the same outlet reports. Their presence underscores how the festival has grown alongside West Allis's craft brewing scene, tying a hyper-local business community to the day's charitable mission.
Proceeds and outreach from Pawtoberfest support a wide network of regional animal welfare groups, including Lucky Mutts Rescue, Friends of MADACC, Chained Dogs MKE, Billy's Posse, H.O.P.E. Safehouse, Canine Cupids, and Ma, Paws & Me Pet Rescue, according to the City of West Allis. Sponsor WaterStone Bank, which traces its roots to 1921 as Wauwatosa Building and Loan, operates two branches in West Allis and has run its own charitable foundation funding southeastern Wisconsin nonprofits since 2002, per the bank's own history.
A Foundation Born From Loss
Also associated with the festival is Emma Loves Dogs, a nonprofit founded by Geoff and Tammy Mertens in memory of their 8-year-old daughter, Emma Mertens of Hartland, Wisconsin, who died in November 2019 from an inoperable brain tumor. Emma had received more than 75,000 dog photos and letters from around the world during her illness, according to reporting cited by CBS News at the time. The foundation now grants up to $5,000 to police K9 units and no-kill shelters, carrying her memory into community events like Pawtoberfest.
A Century-Old Market Sets the Scene
The festival takes place at the West Allis Farmers Market, 6501 W. National Ave., a site with its own long history in the city. The market was originally founded in 1919 at what was known as Conrad's Point, moved to its current location in 1926, and opened its 154-stall covered brick structure on May 9, 1931, according to the City of West Allis. The market earned a Milwaukee County Historical Society landmark designation in 1986.
What Pet Owners Should Know Before They Go
Pawtoberfest requires all pets to stay on-leash at the market, and West Allis municipal code separately requires that any dog age five months or older living in the city be licensed annually with proof of rabies vaccination, with licenses managed through the city clerk's office. Households with more than two dogs must also obtain a municipal Animal Fancier permit under the same code. Owners whose dogs get loose and are picked up by the Milwaukee Area Domestic Animal Control Commission face a $25 municipal fine per offense on top of standard boarding and vaccination fees, per MADACC.
For dog owners looking for off-leash options beyond festival day, West Allis opened its first dedicated off-leash dog park in 2019 at 11200 W. Hayes Ave., built through community volunteer fundraising. The park requires a city pass and proof of spay or neuter status, according to the city.
-4.webp?w=160&h=400&fit=crop&crop=edges)
