Students host dog expo

Students in the Lincoln Public Schools Entrepreneurship Focus Program are learning on the job, most recently by developing a marketing plan for Lincoln's Domesti-PUPS.  As part of the curriculum, the Entrepreneurship Focus Program will be hosting the "I Love My Dog Expo" on Saturday, Feb. 2 at the Lancaster County Events Center, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. The event is open to the public and is free of charge.

The "I Love My Dog Expo" will feature agility, obedience and fly ball demonstrations by the Greater Lincoln Obedience Club, as well as a number of vendor booths from Lincoln's best pet-care businesses. The Lincoln Police Department's Canine Unit will also be in attendance.

Dog owners are encouraged to bring their dogs to participate in a number of events. The expo will include obedience classes, dog photographers and a special Pet Show-Off at noon. Anyone can participate in the dog show, which will be emceed by KFOR's Morning Show host, Mark Taylor. In addition to receiving a treat at the end of the show, "Dog Show-Off" prizes will be awarded.

"I Love My Dog Expo" is a project integrated into the Entrepreneurship Focus Program (EFP) curriculum. EFP students teamed up to prepare four different business plans, ranging from operations to marketing. After submitting ideas to the Domesti-PUPS board of directors, the organization selected to use the team's marketing proposal for the expo.

Businesses interested in participating in the event can rent a booth for $125 or for $100 with the donation of a raffle gift.

Domesti-PUPS is a non-profit organization that provides pet therapy training and service dogs for people with disabilities. The organization is made up of several different branches, including Petting-PUPS, Edu-PUPS, PUPS-Teach-Us, Raising-PUPS, Reading-PUPS and Praising-PUPS.

"This has been an incredible learning experience for the students," said EFP instructor Trudy Hines. "Students have been calling businesses, learning about scripting sales calls, how to change a script and answer questions. Once students have contacted a potential vendor, they assess themselves and decide what we need to do differently."

For more information, please contact the Entrepreneurship Focus Program at 402-436-1715. For more information on Domesti-PUPS call 402-465-4201 or visit www.domesti-pups.org.

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Published: January 14, 2008
Updated: January 14, 2008