Miro the beauty contestant

On Sunday Miro entered a contest. I think the winner appears on next winter's cover of City Dog magazine. We (meaning I) braved the rain mostly to promote KDOG's bark for the park contest to get an off-leash dog park in the city.

We waited in line, growing bored and wet because we couldn't see the dogs on stage--

--until we got quite close.

I do not, of course, have a photo of Miro parading across the stage because I had to be up there with him. After our two seconds of fame, we walked over to the dock.

We looked across the lake toward Seattle.

The rain stopped but it was still gray and misty out. Reading about the heat wave in other parts of the country, though, I'm OK with a cold summer. The dogs like cool weather.

Go Dog Go

You know you're not photography-minded when you go to a dog event and don't even think about bringing a camera. Miro and I volunteered as traffic directors and raffle ticket sellers last week at Go Dog Go, a fundraising festival for the Kirkland off-leash dog park project. Kept busy working, we missed the costume contest, the agility games, the food and treat give-aways at booths. We missed pretty much everything except for being able to meet and greet people and their dogs as they arrived. Alanis stayed home because she already has excellent manners (even when she is being bossy) and Miro needed practice.

We met a 12-year-old Siberian Husky who was still so agile and playful that she acted like a five-year-old. We met Jack Russell terriers, a Wheaten and an Irish terrier. We saw a white Poodle who wore a red saddle and had feet trimmed to resemble a Clydesdale horse. The fur around her feet was dyed pink, something I still feel dubious about. There was even a Bloodhound pulling his person all around the grounds. We said hello to a Border Collie who seemed to be deciding whether or not to herd Miro. And, of course, there were lots and lots of mixed breeds.

When we were selling raffle tickets for fabulous baskets filled with treats and adventures for dogs and people (sigh, we didn't win anything), Miro discovered he could inch under the table to touch noses with approaching dogs. All the dogs we met seemed to be on best behavior all day. When the lady in the neighboring booth sat eating lunch, Miro sat beside her so politely that you'd think he was having tea with the Queen. Of course, he was hoping for hand-outs but he didn't ask or even try to perform an Airedale Mind-Meld by staring at her.

I was happy to be able to help but next year I'll ask to enjoy the festival first and volunteer later. I might even remember to bring a camera.

More being very good.

Not as smart as fifth graders

In daily walks around the neighborhood, I've been impressed by the doggie-knowledge of some of the children who've stopped to talk. Anywhere we go, most children ask if they can pet the dog--or their mothers make them ask--before approaching. Twice I've encountered boys who have clearly done some training, as they knew how to gesture and command "sit" and "down," even as Miro tried to leap forward to greet them. One even put his hands down and turned away until Miro calmed, just as we're told in obedience class.

The adults are another story. I live near two parks, both of which have signs saying that dogs must be kept on leash. In both parks, people let their dogs off leash. Last week Miro and I were crossing the schoolyard attached to one park when a young pit bull came charging at us from the opposite side of the field. I had seen him running loose but the owner had leashed him as we entered the grounds. The pit bull was trailing a flexi-lead and I put my foot on the lead while extending the hand holding Miro's leash as far as possiblle from the other dog. So there I was trying to make my arms and legs as long as possible between two dancing dogs, the pit bull wrapping the flimsy flexi-lead around my leg and his owner toddling along toward us, calling her dog who was completely ignoring her. Wouldn't you be in a flat-out run if that were your dog? Did I mention that we were not far from a street?

When she finally got to us and I was trying to unwind myself, I said that a flexi-lead is not a secure leash. She said, "I know. It broke in just a couple of weeks. I'm going to take it back and get a new one." It says right on the packaging for those leashes that they're not meant for strong dogs who pull. Stupid! It that had been a hostile dog, I might not be here writing about it.

Yesterday in the other park, we encountered a hostile human on a trail. Since it was a sunny day, there were lots of people in the park and on the trails. Ahead of us was a large woman not paying much attention to her blue heeler mix that was some distance behind her. I put Miro in a sit when the dog turned around and came toward us and I called, "Will you please control your dog?" Like the other dog (and all the off-leash dogs I've encountered) this one ignored his owner when she called him. As she approached, I said, "This isn't an off-leash area." 

She yelled at me, "Well, if you're going to have that kind of attitude, I'm not going to work with you at all."

I said, "I'm not asking you to work with me; I'm asking you to obey the rules."

She yelled, "F--- you, bitch!" and a few other choice words before turning and marching away, ignoring her dog who was ignoring her.

Huh?