Fee Hedrick Family Entertainment Group

PIGEON FORGE, Tenn. - Dawn Goehring and her team of Comedy Canines from the Comedy Barn Theater in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee are touring Sevier County schools to show students that the Humane Society is full of loving, trainable and adorable pets.

Goehring, the Sevier County Humane Society, and The Comedy Canines are teaming up to recognize “Be Kind to Animals Week”, observed May 6-12, 2007. The 30-minute school assemblies will be educational and entertaining. The school schedule was:

Tuesday, May 8 at 10:00 a.m. - New Center Elementary
Wednesday, May 9 at 10:00 a.m. - Pittman Center Elementary
Thursday, May 10 at 8:30 & 9:30 a.m. - Sevierville Primary School
Tuesday, May 15 at 9:00 & 9:45 a.m. - Pigeon Forge Primary
Thursday, May 17 at 9:00 a.m. - Caton’s Chapel Elementary (K-3)

The goal of the program is to inspire children to become responsible pet owners, while raising awareness of the community service performed daily by local animal shelters. The school shows will also cover important safety lessons on bite prevention and how to properly greet a dog. The special ways dogs assist humans will also be demonstrated and discussed.

Goehring explains, “It is so important to me to take a bunch of rescued dogs to schools, showing children that you can ‘teach an old dog new tricks’! I want kids to realize that they need to look no further than their local shelter to find the perfect pet!”

The assembly will also include seven dogs doing fast paced tricks to music - jumping through hoops, jumping rope, rolling barrels, jumping over hurdles and more. Goehring says, “The kids are encouraged to get excited and cheer the dogs on. It is great to reach the kids at this age and hopefully instill a sense of respect and love for animals of all types.”

Goehring’s canine performers range from every day mixed breeds, to hound dogs and exotic hairless Chinese Crested dogs. They perform complex jumping, obstacles and dances with excellent comic timing. All of the dogs were once homeless, abandoned, abused or forgotten. Thanks to Goehring, the canines now make an unforgettable impression on audiences everywhere.

A few of the dogs will look familiar to students. The talented pets have been featured on Cartoon Network, D.I.Y Network, Animal Planet and on many national advertisements for popular products.

The show-stealing comedic team performs nightly at the Comedy Barn Theater. Goehring owns 11 dogs, one pig, eight chickens and one cat (and a very understanding husband).

The 825-seat Comedy Barn Theater is the only theater in Pigeon Forge, devoted exclusively to comedy, antics and animated stunts. Open year ’round, The Comedy Barn has two shows nightly in season at 5:00 p.m. and 8:15 p.m., as well as some scheduled matinees for groups throughout the season. Tickets are $21.95, plus tax, and children 11 and younger are admitted free with each paying adult. For tickets, call 1-800-29 LAUGH. For more information, visit www.comedybarn.com. You can find The Comedy Canines online at www.comedycanines.com.