Sacramento Children’s Museum hosts free Dogs with Jobs showcase Saturday

Families at the Sacramento Children’s Museum got a close look at the real jobs dogs do in the community, from police K-9 work to service and comfort-dog demonstrations, during the museum’s free Dogs with Jobs event in Rancho Cordova.

The seventh annual showcase brought roughly 30 to 40 dogs from different organizations to 2701 Prospect Park Drive, giving children and adults a chance to watch working animals in a public setting instead of seeing them only in headlines or on rare public appearances. The museum said the event featured comfort dogs, police K-9s, service dogs and more, along with guidance on when it is and is not appropriate to pet a working dog.

Dogs with Jobs has been part of the museum’s April calendar since 2018, and the institution said it has invited thousands of children and their families over the years to learn about the importance of working dogs. That mix of hands-on education and community outreach has made the event a recurring draw for Sacramento-area families looking for something both fun and practical.

The museum’s schedule for 2026 set the event for 10 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. on April 11, with registration required and museum admission not included. CapRadio reported that the showcase was expected to run at 11 a.m. and to include law enforcement canines, therapy dogs and service dogs, underscoring the broad range of roles on display.

The event also carried real momentum from last year’s turnout. The museum said more than 400 community members gathered for Dogs With Jobs on April 5, 2025, a strong sign that the showcase has become one of the region’s more dependable spring family events. The City of Rancho Cordova also listed the program on its calendar, reinforcing its place as a local fixture rather than a one-off demonstration.

For the museum, the appeal goes beyond the novelty of seeing dogs perform on cue. Dogs with Jobs fits its mission to inspire lifelong learning through hands-on experiences, and it turns a crowd-pleasing animal event into a civics lesson about discipline, public safety and service. For kids, it is a chance to meet the dogs up close. For adults, it is a reminder that some of the most remarkable animals in the region are still very much on duty.