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Daxon: It’s back! Brea’s annual pet expo and mall updates

April 2, 2026

Now in its seventh year, the Brea Pet Expo will again be at the Brea Community Center, 695 Madison Way, this month.

It all happens from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. on April 11 and is your chance to find that lovable pooch or adorable kitty to adopt.

There were 51 pets adopted at last year’s Pet Expo, the most adoptions since the expo began, according to Ashley Reid, Community Services Specialist II, with the city.

Maybe even more pets will be adopted this year.

Are there any rules for adopting? Reid said each rescue group will have their own adoption process, asking questions such as what other pets are in the home and age of the family’s children, and providing advice on exercising or walking your adopted dog. The rescue folks will want to make sure Rover (remember that dog name?) will be happy and loved in his new home.

Besides dog and cat adoptions, the expo will feature nearly 100 vendors offering the latest pet products, pet foods and services. Besides dogs and cats, you’ll see exotic reptiles and tarantulas, and police K9 dogs demonstrating how well they obey orders, sniff out drugs and even do simulation bites. Thank goodness those bites will be simulated.

There will also be several veterinary and training experts available, ready to answer your questions and help you learn how to be a better pet parent.

One way to be a better pet parent is to leave your dog or cat at home. No pets are allowed at the Pet Expo.

Admission is only $3, but kids under 12 get in for free! And there is plenty of free parking at the Brea Community Center. Reid said that they are expecting around 1,000 attendees this year. Better go early.

Something else you’d better go early for is the soft opening for Dick’s Sporting Goods at the Brea Mall on April 15.

The 50,000-square-foot, two-floor sporting goods store will have everything you need for every sport and exercise activity you do or plan to do. It is definitely a good place to get the gear you need to get in shape for summer or to get in your steps while shopping at the newly expanded and renovated Brea Mall.

Also opening soon in the new outdoor extension of the Brea Mall is North Italia. The popular, upscale spot for fabulous Italian fare is expected to welcome diners on April 22. Bon appétit.

Also opening this spring in the mall’s outdoor area is Williams-Sonoma. Finally, it is returning to the Brea Mall and will have a larger store than before. A large section in the center of the store that will feature cooking events, demonstrations and even gourmet cooking lessons.

The huge and beautiful Life Time Athletic Club, also located in the mall’s outdoor area, will surely get you in shape. The 85,000-square-foot, indoor-outdoor facility covers 3 acres on the Brea Mall property. It is expected to open in July. So those new workout clothes you’ll pick up at Dick’s Sporting Goods can be put to good use at the Life Time Athletic Club.

While other malls around our state and the country have closed down, our Simon Brea Mall continues to grow, thrive and offer more shopping and shape-up opportunities for Breans and folks in cities all around us.

Terri Daxon is a freelance writer and the owner of Daxon Marketing Communications. She gives her perspective on Brea issues twice a month. Contact her at daxoncomm@gmail.com.

Orange County Register

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Daxon: It’s back! Brea’s annual pet expo and mall updates

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