Directions to 3rd Annual Celebration Pet Day

Bedford County - Agriculture and Education Center
119 Midland Road, Shelbyville, TN 37160

Coming to The Ag Center from Nashville, TN
Take I-24 to Murfreesboro, then take exit 81 A to Shelbyville.
From Murfreesboro to Shelbyville is about 25 minutes.
Turn Right onto Peacock Ln. (Across from Calsonic Corp.), then left onto Midland Rd. You will see the Ag Center on your right.

Coming to The Ag Center from Chattanooga, TN
Take I-24 toward Murfreesboro and exit on Exit 97 to Wartrace/Shelbyville. Following Highway 64 through Wartrace until it intersects with Highway 41 A. Turn right onto Highway 41A (Madison Street). At the Hwy. 41A North and Hwy. 231N intersection turn left. Turn left onto Peacock Ln. (Across from Calsonic Corp.). then left onto Midland Rd. You will see the Ag Center on your right.

Coming to The Ag Center from Knoxville, TN
Take I-40 E toward Nashville, then take exit 235 onto TN-840 W toward Murfreesboro. Exit onto I-24 E toward Chattanooga. Exit I-24 on exit 81 A to Shelbyville. From Murfreesboro to Shelbyville is about 25 minutes. Turn Right onto Peacock Ln. (Across from Calsonic Corp.), then left onto Midland Rd. You will see the Ag Center on your right.

Coming to The Ag Center from Memphis, TN
Take I-40 toward Nashville, then exit onto I-440 at exit 206; at Exit I-24 go toward Murfreesboro; exit I-24 at Exit 81 A onto US-231. From Murfreesboro to Shelbyville is about 25 minutes. Turn Right onto Peacock Ln. (Across from Calsonic Corp.), then left onto Midland Rd. You will see the Ag Center on your right.

Coming to The Ag Center from Fayetteville, TN
Follow Highway 231 North until in Shelbyville. Turn LEFT onto Peacock Ln. (Across from Calsonic Corp.), then left onto Midland Rd. You will see the Ag Center on your right.

Coming to The Ag Center from Lewisburg, TN
Follow Highway 64 East until it crosses Highway 41 A.
Take Hwy 231 N. Turn LEFT onto Peacock Ln. (Across from Calsonic Corp.), then left onto Midland Rd. You will see the Ag Center on your right.

Coming to The Ag Center from Tullahoma, TN
Follow Highway 41 A North all the way in to Shelbyville. At the Hwy. 41A N and Hwy. 231N. intersection. Turn Right. Turn LEFT onto Peacock Ln. (Across from Calsonic Corp.), then left onto Midland Rd. You will see the Ag Center on your right.

2007 Celebration Pet Day Vendors

The following vendors are participating at Celebration Pet Day 2007:

Kindred Spirits Dog Training & Boarding

Puppy Palace

Sit & Stay Dog Training Center

Pet Collar Shop

Crystal Memories

Crystal Barker Groom and Manicure

Pampered Pets Salon & Boutique

Fantasy Floral

Melissa Flannery, Mary Kay Consultant

Debra Weaver's Homemade Pies

Cyber Cat Computers

Bedford County 200 will also be with us!

Program Schedule for Celebration Pet Day

Here is the special programming schedule for this year's Celebration Pet Day.

10:30 a.m. Official kickoff for Celebration Pet Day by County Mayor Eugene Ray and City Mayor Wallace Cartwright.

10:45 a.m. - Amanda Oliver presents an informational program about Tellington T Touch Therapy for pets.

11:30 a.m. - Pamela Johnson-Bennett from Cat Behavior Associates gives a basic informational program with an audience question and answer session. Afterwards, she will do a book signing.

12:30 p.m. - Equine specialist, Sam Powell, the "Horse Whisperer".

1:00 p.m. - Celebration Pet Day Pet Show

At 11:00 a.m. get ready for the Society of Secret Identities Super Heroes and Villains! Come out and meet Spider Man, Bat Man, Super Girl, Poison Ivy and many others. Be sure to bring your camera!

Kay Allen from Blessed Assurance Farm will be there with the minis all day. She will be giving Donkey Cart driving demos and Coon Jumping demos throughout the day.

Dog Agility demonstrations will be given by the 4H Dog Club led by Regan Mercer.

Jennie Jones from Kindred Spirits Dog Training & Boarding will be giving obedience tips and tricks during the Celebration Pet Day Pet Show.

Tracy Nelson from the Shelbyville Police Department, along with her K9 Remy will be doing demonstrations throughout the day.

Raymond Pimental will be at a special booth giving out information about trail riding and the 7th Annual Strolling Jim Memorial Trail Ride.

There will be LOTS of other activites as well. Come on out and join us!

Equine Specialist, Sam Powell

Meet Sam Powell

"Some people were telling me once about their son. He had a brand new BMW, a computer, his own room ... They never put any pressure on him, yet he still ended up joining a gang and getting killed. ‘We gave him everything he wanted,' they told me. And I said, ‘You didn't give him the one thing he needed: somebody to respect.'" - Sam Powell


Sam Powell seems to have stepped from the pages of American history, from frontier towns and open ranges, when self-sufficiency and independence weren't just nostalgic values but rather necessities for survival.

He's also a thinker, whose views are informed by Eastern philosophies, meditation, and untamed nature.

He's compact, not that tall, but he seems to tower over the landscape. His face, craggy from decades spent outdoors, betrays the Cherokee strain in his blood. His clothing, the PFI shirt and Wrangler jeans, is often dusty though always impeccably worn, with creases crisp and fit tight.

At his spread outside Shelbyville, about an hour south of Nashville, Tennessee, or before audiences as far away as Europe and Australia, Powell demonstrates an almost mystical ability to work with horses. Clients - country superstars Reba McEntire and Tanya Tucker, the Nashville Police, and universities and stables throughout America - have watched him and extolled his gifts.

His background - readings in Zen, days spent observing herds in the wild, lessons learned through his rowdy youth and woven into subtler webs of experience - feeds this talent, which must surely have been with Powell since birth.

What matters more is how he has grown his work beyond communion with horses, into a garden of wisdom, whose patterns reveal what it means to live a meaningful life. In this role, as a modern philosopher, Powell offers his greatest service.

"People will watch as I connect with each horse," he explains. "They'll see it following me, with no rope or anything. They'll understand that this comes from effective communication, mutual respect, listening to the ones you're with and finding where they're troubled or scared and helping them get past that. That's the secret."

The approach can be applied in complex ways, whether with horses or finding one's own path through life, though it boils down to a simple concept, summarized in just three words: "teach by asking."

Its roots stretch back to Oklahoma, where Powell was raised by relatives after his parents had divorced. Fascinated by the cowboys he saw on Saturday movie matinees, he left home at fifteen to find his father, who was running an equestrian program at a school in Scottsdale, Arizona. A year later he visited again, this time staying longer and observing more closely the behavior of horses that roamed free through the nearby canyons.

Shortly after that, Powell dropped out of high school and began seeking work as a rodeo performer. By age sixteen he was riding bulls and traveling far from home, to Cheyenne's Frontier Days and the Calgary Stampede, before leaving that world for steadier employment on ranches, culminating in a 22-year run as equine manager at the famous Mullendore Cross Bell Ranch in Oklahoma.

Getting there wasn't easy. He had his share of trouble, got into a few fights, suffered seven broken noses, and woke up now and then in local jails before receiving a police escort to the outskirts of town. It was even rougher in the rodeo ring, where injuries were frequent and sometimes serious. During one winter, immobilized while recovering from a broken neck, Powell passed the hours with books that a friend would deliver from the library.

"That's where I first heard about Zen and psycho-cybernetics," he recalls. "I'd read these books, so that by the time I could get back to bull riding I'd be able to go to the pen, find that bull, look at the arena, look at the shirt and clothes I'd wear that night, and then I'd sit by myself in a corner and visualize it all. I'd ride that bull one hundred times in my mind - a good ride every time. So when I finally did crawl on that bull, there was no apprehension. I'd already done it, so I could concentrate completely on the now."

From this point Powell reassessed the working method that prevailed among his peers. To the idea of being in the moment he added the insights he was absorbing, even without knowing it at the time, through watching those canyon horses with his father. Respect was the key - for the needs of the horse and for your ability to serve them. Trust, honesty, courage, control, persistence: With these tools, the respect shared by the trainer and the horse could transform into results beyond those achieved by even the best of the old-school bronco busters.

"Horses don't love people," Powell points out. "They have no concept of affection. When that horse comes up and puts his head over your shoulder, you think he loves you. But he's really trying to get you to say, ‘Don't do that. Get back.' And they think, ‘Whew! That's good. I need a leader, and he's my leader.' They crave security and comfort. Give that to them, and they'll stick with you."

Today, as head of Sam Powell Equine Consulting Services (asksampowell.com), Powell introduces horse owners to his system of non-violent and effective training. Whether outlined through personal appearances, videos, or seminars at Oklahoma State University, Middle Tennessee State University, and other institutions, its essence becomes clear through his plainspoken but poetic presentation - and above all through the results he achieves through hands-on contact with troubled animals.

The relevance is there, as well, for those who have never sat on a saddle, whose goals are more to discover something about themselves and their interactions with the world. Fact is, the lessons of Sam Powell have universal resonance, in the arenas of business and spiritual growth.

"You're the boss of a company, you come to the office, and all your employees are on the curb with picket signs. Or you go home after work and your wife has thrown all your clothes into the front yard. You could have prevented these things if you had been aware of what's going on in your world. If I'm aware with my horse, I'll know that he's thinking about doing something I don't want to do, and I can change his mind without getting into a fight. You prepare. You know how to get to your goals. And you pay attention on your journey. That's awareness," says Sam Powell. "That's what I teach."

We are excited to have Mr. Powell at our Celebration Pet Day event. His program is scheduled for 12:30 p.m. Please come out and join us!

Local Area Rescues/Shelters Featured at Celebration Pet Day!

Celebration Pet Day is featuring many local area rescues/shelters this year. Come by to meet adoptable pets and volunteers from the following rescues/shelters:

Shelbyville-Bedford County Humane Association.

Bedford County Animal Control

Shelbyville-Animal Control

Beesley Animal Humane Foundation

Shar Pei Rescue of Tennessee, Inc.

Chinese Crested Rescue

Middle Tennessee Golden Retriever Rescue

Amost Home Rescue of Rutherford County

Franklin County Humane Society

Save your best friend's life. Adopt a pet!

Learn About Rally to Rescue

FLUFFY AND FIDO HOPE TO GET A NEW "LEASH" ON LIFE
(Shelbyville-Bedford County Humane Association and Sharpei Rescue of Tennessee, Inc.)Host Event to Help Rescue Pets

(Shelbyville, Tennessee) (September 29, 2007) Imagine being greeted each day with animation and enthusiasm. Whether it's a lick on the face or a wagging tail, pets have a way of brightening our days. Unfortunately not every pet is lucky enough to have a home. Many pets are abandoned, abused, or otherwise surrendered by the families that can no longer care for them. Rescue Organizations strive to find new, loving homes for these pets so they can once again become a member of a caring family.

Shelbyville-Bedford County Humane Association, along with Shar Pei Rescue of Tennessee, Inc. an Ambassador for the Purina® Pro Plan® Rally to Rescue™ program, are co-hosting a Rally to Rescue event at the 3rd Annual Celebration Pet Day, on September 29, 2007, to raise funds and awareness for pet rescue and help local homeless dogs and cats find permanent homes.

"Networking with other animal rescue agencies enables us to have much more success finding homes for adoptable pets", said Cheryl Richardson, Celebration Pet Day Coordinator. "Events supported by the Purina Rally to Rescue Program enable us to continue to make a difference and save thousands of pets. They provide us with t-shirts, food bowls, and informative posters."

Shelbyville-Bedford County Humane Association is responsible for adopting nearly 100 homeless pets each year in Shelbyville and in the surrounding Bedford County areas. Since the organization is entirely operated by volunteers, the first step in pet adoption is the completion of an adoption application. Once the completed application is returned, potential adopters are scheduled to visit with the potential pet of their choice. Adoption fees usually start at $50.00 to help cover shelter costs and veterinary care. Adoption applications may be obtained by calling (931)684-KIND or e-mailing SBCHA@hotmail.com.

Smaller pet rescue organizations, like Shar Pei Rescue of Tennessee, help place nearly half a million dogs and cats in homes each year, and represent nearly 45% of all pet adoption agencies. However, they are often overlooked by potential donors due to more limited fundraising and marketing capabilities. Adoption fees provide most of the funds that are needed to pay for the medical care and microchipping that each dog has before being placed in an adoptive home. "We receive some support from our national club, Chinese Shar Pei Club of America, but without donations and fund raisers, we wouldn't be able to do what we do", says Cindy Sherrill, head of Shar Pei Rescue of Tennessee. You can learn more about this rescue group by going to the web site www.tnsharpeirescue.com or by writing Cindy at chs@sewanee.edu.

The Pro Plan Rally to Rescue Program is designed to raise funds and awareness for pet rescue organizations nationwide. Funds are raised via the sale of pet collars with matching wristbands and also t-shirts. Items are available for purchase online at www.rallytorescue.org. Net proceeds will benefit participating rescue organizations.

Spotlight on Vendor Sponsors

We are very proud to have some excellent Vendor Sponsors at our event this year, including Drake Signs & Graphic Design and Vicky Rivait.

Drake Signs & Graphic Design is a local company that offers vehicle graphics, custom t-shirts, screenprinting, painted and vinyl signs, banners, and decals. Drake's is not only a participating vendor at our event, but they are also a sponsor. Visit their booth at Celebration Pet Day to pick up a very special Celebration Pet Day t-shirt, or a t-shirt of your liking. They are able to print on demand and one shirt at a time, which keeps the cost low. Each t-shirt will be $10.00 with $2.00 of the proceeds benefitting the Shelbyville-Bedford County Humane Association.

Vicky Rivait, licensed massage therapist, will be on hand to help you relax. Vicky and her partner will be offering 1 minute chair massages for $1.00 per minute. Part of her proceeds will also benefit the Shelbyville-Bedford County Humane Association. So come on out, relax, and soothe both you and your pet.

Keep checking back here for more vendors and information!

The "Horse Whisperer" Is Coming!

We've just confirmed that Sam Powell, "the horse whisperer", will be doing a special session at Celebration Pet Day. Keep checking here for program times and details.