Fun at the Dash N Splash

Fun at the Dash N Splash
Saturday was the local Dash N Splash. WOW!!! What a huge event! There were dogs absolutely everywhere, and so many that people can't go in the water - just the dogs. So that means I couldn't go in and coax my guys into the water, but we had fun all the same. Truth be told, that many dogs in the water sure gave it a "different" look and I probably didn't want in anyway! lol

Tanner and I gathered up Bandit, Cooter, and Fa Zhou and away we went for our adventure. The water portion was in one fenced in area that was treated like a dog park - all the dogs had to be off leash. Oh no! I wasn't sure how well mine would stick with me with all the other distractions there because this was much larger and much more full than any dog park we had ever gone to.

Wasn't worried so much about Bandit - after all, he had been working on his obedience and agility training with Tanner. He's admittedly better at it in the ring and at home than with trying to mark over all the bigger dogs' scents (and there was that cute curly haired big girl who took him on a wild chase through everyone's legs). But overall he had a blast and minded her pretty well.

Cooter stuck with me at a reasonable distance, but he certainly made the rounds. People, dogs, water, he was ready to experience everything and make friends! He's such a good boy. He only got away from me a couple of times where I couldn't see him. And at one point he somehow got to the other side of the pool where it was really deep and this cute English Bulldog was jumping off the platform. It scared me, thinking he was going to follow her without me right there to save him if need be, so I shouted his name a few times. Tony never gets to name the animals again. Yelling "COOTER" over a crowd of people certainly got me some undesireable looks.

Fa Zhou was the wild card. We've had him out socializing and he does well with other animals, and is slightly reserved around people he hasn't met, so it was a guess what he'd try to do and who he'd try to follow. A few times he followed Cooter into whatever adventures he was into. But I think he sensed my worry trying to keep track of everything so he started sticking closer to me. Fortunately, he's a lot smarter than I am. I didn't realize he was near me, and I'd spin in circles looking for him, calling him, only to find out that he was behind my legs. As I turned, he'd jump and was trying to be a good boy by being right behind me where he thought he should be. He made some friends, in particular this white boxer puppy. They would love to be best friends!

We survived the water part, then got the leashes back on and went out to the main area with the vendors. They had lots to see and do. There were many interesting vendors, and they had a silent auction table full of bags of goodies. There was a grandstand where they had fun contests - costumes, best kisser, etc., going on. They even had food for the people and an animal communicator with quite a crowd around her.

It was hot and a bit of a challenge to keep the dogs cool outside of the water area, but they had some misting fans set up that were getting some good use. The event was well-planned and it was a great way to spend the afternoon. We'll definitely plan on it next year!