Animal Planet Hosts Free Festival WOOSTOCK: Road to Puppy Bowl Today

No city loves their pets more than the Windy City, so today, June 27, ANIMAL Planet is hosting a free festival celebrating pet adoption in Chicago. WOOFSTOCK: ROAD TO PUPPY BOWL is a free festival at the Stadium Green at Soldier Field from 12:00 PM to 5:00 PM and is open to the general public - and their dogs. The event is headlined by an attempt to break the Guinness World Record for "largest gathering of adopted pets," at 2:30 PM. For specific rules and guidelines for the World Record attempt and to register for WOOFSTOCK please visit www.AnimalPlanetWoofstock.com. WOOFSTOCK is presented with special support from AT&T U-verse(R), which carries ANIMAL Planet on Channel 252 in SD/1252 in HD, as well as PAWS Chicago, the ASPCA(R) (The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals(R)), Lagunitas Brewing Company, and DogVacay.

Register for WOOFSTOCK now by visiting www.AnimalPlanetWoofstock.com and Use Hashtag #WoofstockAPL

The main stage hosted by Eugene Mirman (Bob's Burgers) offers a full day of entertainment featuring ANIMAL Planet stars; including MY CAT FROM HELL's Jackson Galaxy, PIT BULLS AND PAROLEES' Mariah, Kanani and Moe, Shaun Sears and Tom Otto from TREETOP CAT RESCUE; as well as some spectacular bands, including JC Brooks and Uptown Sound and The Suffers. The day also offers additional surprises and ANIMAL attractions; including pet advice from Andrea Arden of DOGS 101, Extreme Pet Tricks, a PUPPY BOWL reenactment, and special appearances by internet sensations Lil BUB and Manny the Frenchie.

Beyond the stage, WOOFSTOCK features an array of attractions, including "The Beer Sanctuary" presented by Lagunitas. A collection of Chicago's finest food trucks also will be onsite to delight a diverse array of pallets and appetites. Four legged guests will have a ball with doggie obstacle courses, pet swag bags, and booths from PAWS Chicago, the ASPCA, and DogVacay. Your dog also will have the photo op of a lifetime at the replica PUPPY BOWL field.

Throughout the event, homeless pets will take center stage, as PAWS Chicago hosts on-site adoptions featuring more than 40 dogs and puppies waiting to find their rock star families. The WOOFSTOCK celebration continues throughout the weekend at PAWS Chicago's Lincoln Park and North Shore Adoption Centers, where ANIMAL Planet will cover adoption fees for special "Rock Star" dogs and cats. Check the PAWS Chicago website for details.

WOOFSTOCK is the culmination of a successful 17-city ROAD TO PUPPY BOWL tour that found forever homes for more than one thousand animals from Baltimore to San Francisco. So, mark your calendars today, as ANIMAL Planet, the ASPCA(R) and PAWS Chicago will bring together thousands Chicagoans, dog owners and pet lovers for an unforgettable event!

For updates leading into WOOFSTOCK visit Facebook.com/AnimalPlanet and Facebook.com/PuppyBowl. And, follow @AnimalPlanet on Instagram and Twitter for all #WoofstockAPL information.

About the Talent

Eugene Mirman is a comedian and hero who lives in Brooklyn, NY. He voices "Gene" on Fox's hit animated series Bob's Burgers. He's a regular on Flight of the Conchords, Adult Swim's Delocated, and has two Comedy Central Specials.

JC Brooks & The Uptown Sound has attracted a true-blue grassroots following, with MOJO Magazine identifying them as "one of the hottest US soul acts." They have toured NORTH AMERICA and Europe, attracting an enthusiastic following while garnering the support of the likes of NPR and AAA radio. JC Brooks' voice erupts with heart and heartache over the ferocious rhythm and star-time charisma of guitarist Billy Bungeroth, drummer Kevin Marks, keyboardist Jeremy Tromburg, and bassist Theodore Berry the IV and percussionist Jovia Armstrong. JC Brooks & the Uptown Sound are working on a new album for Bloodshot Records set for release fall of 2015.

The Suffers are a ten-piece band from Houston, TX who are redefining the sound of Gulf Coast Soul, intertwining elements of Classic American Soul with Rock & Roll. Both sonically and visually arresting, the large ensemble packs each position of the rhythm section and horn section with a level of talent and taste that provides the perfect foundation for singer Kam Franklin's massive voice. The Suffers will be releasing their debut LP Make Some Room in 2015, hitting the road aggressively.

About ANIMAL Planet

Animal Planet, a multi-media business unit of Discovery Communications, is the world's only entertainment brand that immerses viewers in the full range of life in the ANIMAL KINGDOM with rich, deep content via multiple platforms and offers ANIMAL lovers and pet owners access to a centralized online, television and mobile community for immersive, engaging, high-quality entertainment, information and enrichment. ANIMAL Planet consists of the ANIMAL Planet television network, available in more than 94 million homes in the US; online assets www.animalplanet.com, the ultimate online destination for all things animal; ANIMAL Planet L!VE, the go-to digital destination for round-the-clock, unfiltered access to the ANIMAL kingdom; and other media platforms including a robust Video-on-Demand (VOD) service, and merchandising extensions.

About the ASPCA(R)

Founded in 1866, the ASPCA(R) (The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals(R)) is the first ANIMAL welfare organization in NORTH AMERICA and serves as the nation's leading voice for animals. More than two million supporters strong, the ASPCA's mission is to provide effective means for the prevention of cruelty to animals throughout the United States. As a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit corporation, the ASPCA is a national leader in the areas of anti-cruelty, community outreach and ANIMAL health services. For more information, please visit www.ASPCA.org, and be sure to follow the ASPCA on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

About PAWS Chicago

PAWS Chicago (Pets Are Worth Saving) is a national model in No Kill ANIMAL sheltering, committed to bringing an end to THE KILLING of homeless cats and dogs. As Chicagoland's largest No Kill shelter, and one of the largest in the nation, PAWS has helped to reduce the number of homeless pets killed in the city by 77 percent since its founding in 1997.

In 2014, PAWS Chicago found homes for 5,952 homeless pets through its Lincoln Park and North Shore Adoption Centers and performed 18,290 spay and neuter surgeries through its Lurie Clinic and GusMobile Spay/Neuter Van. These two medical resources give PAWS Chicago the ability to provide free and low-cost spay/neuter surgeries, vaccinations and humane education to under-resourced families and neighborhoods that need the most help in controlling pet population.

Charity Navigator, the nation's largest independent evaluator, has consistently given PAWS Chicago its highest four-star ratings, placing the organization in the top 1% of charities in the nation. PAWS Chicago is also the highest rated charity in the ANIMAL Rights, Welfare & Services category. Visit www.pawschicago.org for more information.

About Lagunitas Brewing Company

From points distant and beyond we all converged on Petaluma in 1993 and '94 with an unenunciated desire to be more than we were before. The core of Lagunitas came from Chicago, St Louis, Memphis, Walker Creek, and the highlands of Quincy.

The Chicago contingent initiated the brewing and the gravitational effect of its suchness did the rest. We all loved the beer but the mission was larger than the ordinary joy of a hoppy-sweet quaff. It was driven unseen by an urge to communicate with people, to find our diasporidic tribe, and to connect with other souls adrift on a culture that had lost its center and spun its inhabitants to the four winds to wander lost and bereft with a longing to re-enter the light. Beer, we have learned, has always been a good lubricant for social intercourse!

The Lagunitas Brewing Co. was not so much an act of ordinary 'foundling' as it was willed into being by the unspoken desire of supportive beer-lovers in Northern California after which they continued to nurture their creation and urged us forward to fulfill the unifying needs of that same beer-loving diaspora from coast to coast and beyond. It is good to have friends!

About DogVacay

Forget the kennel! DogVacay is the leading online service connecting pet owners with over 20,000 loving sitters across the U.S. and Canada. With our five-star-rated sitters, 24/7 customer support, and daily photo updates, pet parents can travel or drop their furry friends off for daycare with peace of mind. And with DogVacay handling insurance, payment, and customer support, our sitters can focus on what they love most - animals!

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