Will Work for Pets

Today was a big day for the therapy dog group that we volunteer with. Once a year, they set up a booth at a local health and wellness expo and try to get new volunteers for Paw to Paw. Our group goes to several local nursing homes to visit residents who might not get visits otherwise. It's nice for the residents to remember pets they used to have and have a soft head to pet. It's perfect for Bunny, since she seems to need supplemental petting on a regular basis. It's also nice for Blueberry and Bunny to get out and stretch their legs a bit. I imagine that Hawk and Lilac breathe a sigh of relief when they go, too since that means they can stretch out and enjoy the comfy dog beds in peace. So, today was a chance for the girls to socialize with the other therapy dogs and get attention from the crowd. I can imagine how the thought processes were going as we got Bunny and Blueberry in the van to go.

Bunny: Oooooo! I've got my fancy collar on! People are going to pet me!

Blueberry: This had better not cut into my naptime!

While in the house...

Hawk: Ahhhh! They remembered my treat!

Lilac: Which bed to I choose? Zzzzzzzzzzzz!

So, off we went to the expo. The girls were popular as soon as we walked in the door. They began to work the crowd. They had a good time getting their sniffs in with the other dogs from the group. Bunny also enjoyed the chance to gloat about her obedience skills to Steppen again. I don't think he cared, he was too busy enjoying all the attention. We also thought we'd share a few of the dogs who joined us today. This is Jack, who has a bit of an obsession with cheese.
After a few hours of working the crowd, Blueberry really had had enough. She let us know that we were cutting into her union sanctioned naptime. She decided she was completely laying down on the job.

Me: Blueberry, you're not setting a great example here.

Blueberry: Is there a gnat buzzing in my ear?

Me: You know, I think there's a camera around.

Blueberry: Make sure you get my best side! I'll give you one shot, Mr. DeMille!

At least the golden retrievers were enthusiastic. Although even they were flagging a bit by the end of their shift. There seem to be a lot of them in the group. More than you can shake a stick at, but that would be unwise in a room full of golden retrievers. Scout and Sydney really would have liked a sample of Jack's cheese, though.

One thing I didn't anticipate is that Bunny and Blueberry would hold their own meet and greet for greyhound adoption there at the expo. Lest you be worried, Bunny did get petted -- a lot! She was in greyhound puppy heaven. I think she sold more greyhounds today than I've seen go off the shelves in a long time. Everybody wanted to pet her, and she tried to convince them all that she never gets any attention or gets petted. She turned her golden eyes on them and they were all putty in her paws. I think we finally found her maximum capacity for being petted today. After two and a half hours, she pointed her little needle nose towards the door and gave a pull on the leash. I made her tough it out for another half hour as we wrapped things up and then we took her to the van. Here's the proof that she did actually get petted today.

I am now sharing the couch with one tired puppy. I think she got her fill of pets for at least one day. Tomorrow is still open, however.