Calling all four-legged best friends – it’s your night out at the Mast General Store in Downtown Columbia. Dogs Night Out is Friday, October 27, from 5:30 p.m. until 7:30 p.m.

Dogs and their well-behaved owners (who must be kept on a 6-foot leash) are welcome to join in the fun of a Doggie Costume Contest with prizes for best outfits. In addition to treats and raffle prizes, Mast Store is welcoming other dog-friendly businesses.

Nieci’s Green Bites is a local, USDA Certified maker of organic pet treats. Learning of the benefits of an organic diet personally, Nieci applied what she learned to make treats for her furbabies. Now, there’s a wide selection of all-natural, high-quality treats for dogs, cats, and even horses. Stop by Neici’s Green Bites’s table to learn more and maybe sample a few.

If you can’t be with your pet all the time, having a safe place for them to spend time with friends – both the two-legged and four-legged kind – have a snack, and maybe even get a bath is important. Those are just a few of the areas where Central Bark West Columbia can help. Stop by to learn more about Whole Dog Care, salon and spa offerings, and training opportunities.

We can all agree that everyone needs a pal, right? PAALS, Palmetto Animal Assisted Life Services, trains animals to assist people of varying abilities to live life more independently and fully. There are so many ways PAALS can help – like animal-assisted therapy to help veterans and active service members with combat-related anxiety symptoms or reading tutors (imagine practicing your skills by reading aloud to a non-judgmental pooch, who is also a good listener; it builds confidence and puts struggling readers at ease). There are so many more ways PAALS helps out, you’ll need to stop by and learn about them yourself.

The phrase “that’s a piece of work” has come to mean many things, but some believe that its original meaning was in reference to a work of art worthy of praise. Your furbaby is a definitely a piece of work, and at Dogs Night Out, you can learn more about making him or her a piece of ARTwork. Commission a masterpiece of Fido with artist Kristin Holzer or learn about a pet painting party where your friends can paint their pets, too, with Paint on the Gogh.

Rover loves to read and wants his younger human friends to enjoy it as much as he does. That’s where the Richland Public Library can help. Meet Zvezda and Sokol, canine volunteers, and Susanne to learn more about Read to a Dog sessions to help young readers gain confidence in their skills.

Take a hike! Stop by the South Carolina State Parks information booth to gather materials on pet-specific programs and events – like the upcoming Howl-O-Ween at Sesqui State Park.

Pet people love to share stories about their pets and to help others. There are many groups in and around the Midlands for passionate pet owners like Dachshunds of Columbia. This active group meets for weenie walks, yappy hours, and even nights with the Columbia Fireflies. It’s as much fun for their humans as it is for the weiner dogs!

For those wanting to extend a helping hand to pets in need, there’s Fostering Foster Animal Rescue. A close-knit group of animal rescuers who believe all dogs have tales to tell and deserve the right to wag theirs in a loving home, Fostering Foster works with individuals to provide temporary homes for pets rescued from death row until they continue their journey at breed-specific rescues, other shelters, or their furever home. If you would like information fostering or other ways to help, stop by for a chat.

Head to Downtown Columbia on October 27 for a howlin’ good time! Call the Mast General Store, located at 1601 Main Street, for more information – 803-771-2300. Parking is available in the Taylor Street deck, an entrance to the store is conveniently located on the second level right next door, or you can park on Main Street.