A dog is a man’s (and woman’s) best friend. So much so that the Shell Factory & Nature Park has always been dog friendly. You can’t really go a day without seeing several four-legged friends being walked around by their owners.

And there’s even a day devoted to them, with one particular breed set aside, the golden retriever.

On Sunday, Nov. 14, The Shell Factory will hold its 11th annual GoldenFest from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. in the parking lot along U.S. 41, after last year’s event was cancelled due to COVID.

Dog owners are encouraged to bring their dogs and even join in on the fun, regardless of breed. Many years, there are just about as many dogs as there are people.

“We expect this to be one of the biggest GoldenFests we’ve had. We’re going to have a lot for people and dogs to do,” said Anne Sheridan, general manager of the Shell Factory. “We expect hundreds of dogs to come.”

The event is put on every year by Golden Retriever Rescue of Southwest Florida, which has been in existence since 2009 and has rescued more than 1,000 goldens.

This year, as in the past, people will be able to see and perhaps even adopt rescue dogs from overseas, mainly South Korea. There also will be a reunion tent for the golden retrievers GRRSWF has rescued from there.

Since 2015, the rescue has saved 68 goldens from that country to raise awareness about the dog-meat industry that still exists in some parts of the world.

There will be more than 40 vendors selling pet-oriented merchandise and promoting non-profit organizations that also work on behalf of animals.

There also will be dock diving exhibitions, agility, obedience and flyball demonstrations, and the Lee County Sheriff’s Office and the North Fort Myers Fire Department are expected to attend, with the LCSO bringing its K-9 unit.

Sheridan said among the new attractions will be pet portraits with Santa Paws. There will also be raffles, silent auctions and pony rides, as well as live music from the Long & Short Trio and a dance routine from the Calendar Girls.

“They’re really going all out this year to make it huge. We’ll be out there serving food and drinks,” Sheridan said. “They are really excited and say the response has been overwhelming. People really love to meet the rescue dogs from overseas.”

The Shell Factory is at 16554 N. Cleveland Ave. For more information call 995-2414 or go to www.shellfactory.com.