Nuts For Mutts

Nuts for Mutts is a dog show for mixed breed dogs. The categories are fun things like “Best Tail Wagger”, “Best Smile”, “Best Dressed”, “Best Eyes”. I saw a program of the event a few years ago on Animal Planet. This year I had the opportunity to attend.

I decided to take just one dog and that would be Sophie. There was no doubt that I could not yet handle both dogs in such a situation. Sophie needed the opportunity for socialization. And, I didn’t want to leave her alone for several hours. Not yet. She is still a baby. Being alone for that long would feel like abandonment. Whereas, Jasper would be just fine being alone for a few hours.

Sophie jumped out of the car barking. To an empty parking lot. Everything startled her. Nothing startled her. This was going to be a baptism by fire. Full contact socialization. We had to walk about about half a mile to the entrance. By the time I got our tickets and went inside, she had calmed down significantly. Still pulling on the leash a bit, but no longer barking.

Since I didn’t know how long each of us would last, I went straight for the Doggy DNA testing booth. Sophie’s heritage is a mystery, but only for a few more weeks. I’ll let you know when the test results come back. If you’d like to have your dog tested, you can go here: Dog DNA Breed Testing

The event itself was great. It was well thought out for the comfort and care of all attendees. There were lots of water bowls and wading pools and several grassy areas that were canopied for shade. The exhibitors had healthy treats for their customers, candy for the rest of us. I didn’t get around to all of the exhibits, but the ones I visited were interesting. In addition to the DNA testing, there was an animal communicator, a company that trains dogs so they can audition for the movies, a booth that had magnetic pet jewelry, pet aromatherapy, and of course, lots of adoption opportunities. Fortunately I was not moved to ‘just look’. None of the dogs there were in danger like the ones I’d adopted.

I bought a travel water bowl that has a snap on lid and an attachment that allows it to sit in a cup holder. Perfect for the back seat. I also got a thingy that holds a bottle of water, a compact collapsible water bowl and a pocket for a cell phone. Perfect for walks. I picked up samples of treats, taking some for Jasper, too.

I talked to a lot of the vendors, telling them about the dog blog, asking if I could mention them by name. They all enthusiastically said “Yes!”. So, in the next post, I’ll let you know about some people I met at Nuts for Mutts.

Sophie and I had a wonderful day. It was great to watch her move into a better place mentally. It was great to spend the day with her. We both went home ‘dog tired’. Once home, she got up on my lap and promptly fell asleep, just like a toddler who’s played all day. Jasper lay on the floor right next to us. He’d had a good day too. He had it to himself, not being bothered by a silly puppy.

Posted by: georgann | 06-03-2008 | 03:06 AM
Posted in: Jasper