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Visit Purina Farms
Visitor Center
The Purina Farms Visitor Center will open for the 2023 season on Wednesday, April 12!
Purina Farms is open to the public mid-April to October from 9:30 a.m.–3:30 p.m. daily every Wednesday – Sunday. We are closed to the public on Mondays and Tuesdays. We look forward to seeing you!
Note: Larger groups, including field trips, are handled offline. Please email us at purinafarms@purina.nestle.com or call 1-888-688-PETS (7387) between 9a.m. - 4p.m. to inquire about reservations.
The Purina Farms Visitor Center includes the Incredible Dog Arena, where you can see our Purina Incredible Dog Team demonstrate their amazing skills; the Pet Center, where our dogs and cats live, which features a 20-foot, multi-level home for cats; and the Barn and Play area, which houses our domestic farm animals.
Better With Pets Exhibit
See how pets and people are hardwired to be together and discover why life is better when shared with a pet. It starts with understanding and appreciating dogs and cats and their unique qualities, which inspire us to live life to the fullest and make every day, a BETTER day.
The journey starts when you arrive at the Purina Farms Visitor Center and identify yourself as a dog or cat person to receive your personal Pet ID card that can be scanned at stations throughout the exhibit space. Each card features a different dog and cat breed and each scan provides more insight into the dog or cat shown on your card from origin and personality to feeding and overall health.
Awe-Inspiring Pets
Take a closer look at how dogs and cats experience the world to understand more deeply how to connect with them. Browse through a library of dog and cat breeds, compare your sensory abilities against pets and discover the biggest clues into pets emotional states. Celebrate dog and cat superlatives and notable accomplishments. Get a morphed photo for sharing of you and a dog or cat after answering questions to see what breed you are most like.
Improving Lives Through Nutrition and Innovation
Proper pet care requires a holistic, innovative approach that supports the pet’s whole body from end to end. Play a matching game pairing nutrients with the body systems they support. Examine life-like tongues of dogs and cats to better understand their food preferences and why taste AND texture are equally important. Place foam blocks together to form an image representing the innovative safety and quality standards Purina follows in the production of pet food. Find out how to help curb an epidemic that affects 50%+ of dogs and cats – obesity!
Achieving Well-Being
Pets help us socially, mentally and physically. Hear stories of how both pets and people experience improved moods, richer social interactions, increased activity and calmer dispositions. Draw a picture illustrating the special bond you share with a pet and drop it in the mailbox to be spotlighted within the exhibit space. Discover the important role assistance animals and service dogs play in the life of someone faced with physical or emotional difficulties as they help them achieve normalcy and independence. You can even pull on a rope attached to a cabinet simulating one way a service dog helps his owner.
Companionship & Responsibility
Everyone should have the privilege of owning a pet. Pet ownership is an extremely rewarding experience that requires a certain amount of responsibility in order to reap the full benefits. See a visual representation of the number of pets entering shelters and rescue groups each year and the steps to preventing the problem by fixing pets and properly identifying them. Use a scanner to scan a microchip and reunite a lost dog with his owner. Browse through adoptable pets on Petfinder.com and email yourself your perfect match. Type in a life lesson you’ve learned from a pet and see it displayed on a big screen for all to see. Stack pet food cans representing the millions of pounds of pet food Purina donates each year to pets in need. Join us in making a difference in the lives of pets by dropping your PET ID card in the donation bone at the end of the exhibit space to trigger a donation to the Petfinder Foundation*
Incredible Dog Arena
The Incredible Dog Arena plays host to some of the most talented canines in the country, who perform exciting daily demonstrations as part of the Purina Incredible Dog Team. Spectators can watch dogs of many different breeds leap into the air to catch a flying disc, run down a ramp and dive into a 50-foot heated pool, or maneuver through a series of jumps and obstacles in an agility course.
Many of the team’s dogs are rescue dogs. Due in large part to good nutrition, extensive athletic training, and lots of love, they’ve become amazing athletes, proving that shelter dogs have the potential to accomplish great feats.
The Purina Farms trainers are always available to answer questions from the crowd, whether they’re about how to get your dog started on the road to taking part in these exciting events, or just about how to care for your family pet.
Pet Training & Enrichment Center
Dozens of dogs and cats call the Pet Center at Purina Farms home. Inside, you’ll find a 20-foot-tall, multi-level cat house built to include the kind of structures that help cats express their natural behaviors and lead happy, healthy lives. Windows, stairways, and rocking chairs are all part of creating this feline paradise. Visitors can watch the cats interact from a staircase that provides an eye-level view of their home. Some of the dogs and cats at the pet center are up for adoption. Click here to find out more about our adoptable dog program and our adoptable cat program.
The Pet Center also features educational displays and videos that help visitors better understand pets and the roles they play in people’s lives. One unique display lets visitors experience the scents a dog's sensitive nose perceives while walking through a field.
The Pet Center's staff of professional handlers conducts grooming demonstrations throughout the day and is available to answer questions about pet care and training.
Barn and Play Area
The Barn and Play Area allows both adults and children to interact with a variety of the domestic animals found on a typical working farm. It houses sheep, horses, cows, hogs, rabbits and chickens, among other farm animals. A petting ring in the Barn's nursery area allows children to interact with chicks, piglets and baby rabbits.
The barn also has several interactive areas, with tunnels to crawl through, a rope to swing on, and toys to play with, while demonstrations throughout the day give visitors the chance to try milking a cow.
Purina Farms and Longmeadow Rescue Ranch have teamed up to spotlight adoptable farm animals in the animal barn. Click here for more information.
Purina Event Center
The Purina Event Center hosts a variety of shows, including dog and cat shows where breeders compete for "Best in Show," as well as performance trials that let dogs show off their skills.
Spectators are welcome at any show at the Purina Event Center (unless otherwise noted on the Events Calendar), and all shows are free to attend. Visitors who attend shows can bring their own folding chairs to settle in and watch the action. As always, please ask the owner's permission before petting or touching any dogs or cats at a show.
Dog Shows at the Purina Event Center
At a dog show, judges evaluate dogs according to the standards for their breed; there are dog shows for each specific breed, for groups of breeds (like the Toy Dog Show), and for many breeds competing against one another. The American Kennel Club recognizes 189 breeds, which are divided into seven different groups. Learn more about some of the AKC recognized breeds.
Spectators who attend dog shows will see handlers (including professionals, owners and breeders) running with their dogs to allow the judge to see how the dogs move, presenting their dogs to the judge for physical examinations, and, with smaller breeds, lifting their dogs onto tables or platforms to give the judge as close a look as possible. Dogs who win their breed competitions usually go on to compete in group competitions. Winners of group competitions may compete for “Best in Show,” depending on how the show is organized.
Dog shows are a fun and interesting activity for children and adults alike and a great way to learn about different dog breeds by seeing happy, healthy dogs at their very best.
All dog shows at the Purina Event Center are free and open to the public unless otherwise noted in the Event Calendar. As always, please ask the owner’s permission before petting or touching any dog at a show.
Cat Shows at the Purina Event Center
At a cat show, judges closely examine cats that represent a variety of breeds and determine how well they conform to their breed standards. There are 40 different breeds of cats recognized by the Cat Fanciers’ Association, which is the world’s largest registry of pedigreed cats. Some of the most well-known cat breeds are the Maine Coon, the Sphynx, the Siamese, the Manx, the Persian, the Abyssinian and the very popular American Shorthair.
Many cat shows are divided into different classes, including the kitten class, the open class (divided into breeds) and the household pet class. This means that spectators who attend cat shows will see both pedigreed cat and household cats being judged. Top show cats are awarded the titles of “Champion” and “Premier” when they win multiple awards.
Attending a cat show is a great way to learn more about different breeds of cats by speaking with reputable breeders and to see beautiful cats looking their best.
All cat shows at the Purina Event Center are free and open to the public unless otherwise noted in the Event Calendar. As always, please ask the owner’s permission before petting or touching any cat at a show.
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