By Andy Dahn

NORMAL – A recent outbreak of canine flu in parts of Northern Illinois has forced the Town of Normal to postpone their Pooch Parade and Pet Fair, which was originally scheduled for May 17th.

While there have not been many reported cases of the flu in Central Illinois, Uptown Marketing Manager Joe Tulley said the postponement is the city playing it safe.

“The vets do say that nose-to-nose contact is bad,” Tulley said. “A lot of this co-mingling can be bad if an animal has been sick. And we just can’t guarantee that every pet owner is going to be diligent and not bring an animal that has been to the northern part of the state or somewhere where it could potentially become ill.”

Tulley said a variety of concerns forced the city to postpone the event.

“We really felt like it would really detract from the whole point of the event,” said Tulley. “It’s to promote pet adoption and wellness, and to have a lot of fun. So it’s hard to have fun if you’re worried about getting sick, and it’s hard to adopt out pets if you don’t feel safe bringing them to the public space.”

Tulley added that Normal will attempt to reschedule the event this summer. But if cases continue and a date cannot be found, the event will be canceled until next year.

Andy Dahn can be reached at [email protected].