On Sunday, June 4, the Boothbay Railway Village will host its fourth annual day dedicated to dogs and their families.  Admission to Family Free FUR All! including steam train rides, is free to everyone on two feet or four paws who brings a donation of dog food or a wish list item for area shelters or rescue groups. Family Free FUR All! is made possible through the support of Downeast Dog News and petMAINE along with The Coastal Dog, an open-concept doggy daycare and boarding service in Edgecomb, and Mr. Dog Training, award-winning positive reinforcement training located in Bath.

There are 11 Maine dog rescues and animal shelters participating in this year’s event including Underhound Railroad, Lincoln County Animal Shelter, Kennebec Valley Humane Society, Pope Memorial Humane Society, Animal Rescue of Kennebec, The Pixel Fund, Souly Maine Pets Rescue, P.A.W.S. Animal Adoption Center, Almost Home Rescue, Catahoula Rescue of New England And Puppy Love, Inc. Dogs and puppies currently looking for their forever homes will be available to meet with potential families throughout the day. The rescues are also hosting fundraisers in their booths including raffles, silent auctions and bake sales.

There will be a few vendors offering pet-friendly products as well as Maine authors with books featuring furry friends.  For instance, Nooksack Racing Supply offers equipment for dog-powered sports including skijoring, mushing, scooterin, cani cross and bikejoring.

The highlight of the day will surely be the two demonstrations by the Flyball MAINEiacs at 11 a.m. and 2 p.m. Flyball races match two teams of four dogs each, racing side-by-side over a 51-foot-long course. Each dog must run in relay fashion down the jumps, trigger a flyball box, releasing the ball, retrieve the ball, and return over the jumps. The next dog is released to run the course but can't cross the start/finish line until the previous dog has returned over all four jumps and reached the start/finish line. The first team to have all four dogs finish the course without error wins the heat.

If you aren’t thinking about expanding your family right now you can also learn about volunteering with any of the participating rescues and shelters or perhaps the Portland chapter of Pets for Vets. This program matches shelter animals with returning veterans.

The Museum’s popular barrel train ride will also be treating guests to old-fashioned fun. Local favorites, CRUST and Watershed Tavern will be offering refreshments for sale for both humans and canines. 

Museum will be open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., with most activities taking place between 10 and 4. For more information about Family Free FUR All! find Boothbay Railway Village on Facebook or visit the Museum’s website at www.railwayvillage.org. The Boothbay Railway Village is located at 586 Wiscasset Road, Route 27 in Boothbay.