G'ville Lighted Parade 2008. I lovelovelove doing parades with these pups. This one was particularly rewarding as is was at night, it was cold, and it involved a run of
more than 5 MILES!!! First I got my bike, myself, and the dogs suitably "lit" and set. Then there was the judging ( clowns -like us- rarely win) and just waiting around at a central point between our twin towns. The parade was set to head north first to R'way about 1.5 miles away. Team HumDog headed out a bit ahead of the main parade, I was very nervous about how it all would pan out, and scared as well for my life! But these dogs chewed up the mileage in record speed, and we arrived with about 10 minutes to spare (...
yea, I might have taken this time to get my camera all set up for some mid-parade movie making, or picture taking, but no! still too nervous to capture it on "film") White knuckles all the way, we joined the rest of the parade (about 20 other big rigs, cement trucks, fire trucks etc - lots of lights and noise!) for the loop through R'way. My heart swelled with the rush of the physical exertion, and pride in the supreme performance and behavior of my team. They were focused on the work we were doing, and many times followed commands flawlessly and left many, many, dogs and people, with no interaction on their part! There were many bonfires lit, homes ablaze with holiday lights, and countless people on the street full of good old fashioned holiday cheer. It made me tear up, to hear kids burst out laughing when they saw us. It was a beautiful thing. The run back to G'ville was over 2 miles and it was a bit sketchy as I not only didn't leave in advance of the parade, I was practically the last one out of town!! Luckily, and through pure physical studliness and drive on the part of my dogs, and myself, (
spinning classes payoff big time!) we caught up to the action just as the last vehicle entered town! So we were last, but at least we were in line for that final loop for the loving crowd in G'Ville! Snoopy was a
spitty faced panter by the time we arrived and Pepper actually still looked pretty fresh. That Dalmatian has some staying power! PLUS she
really seems to enjoy the crowd. They were both amazingly tolerant of all the noise and distractions. It was a riot and a blast. And best of all, no crashes or dog fights! I have some video footage. Look for it soon on YouTube. On the
home front, we've had lots of snow. I am too disabled for cross country skis right now, so I ordered a
snoscooter. More on that, and other awesome dog powered postables in 2009. Get ready for Iditarod 37~!~!~
Poor Things. Why they look like they are being tortured into this is a mystery to me. I swear, once we get on the trail they are slobbering little mushers just barking for joy!
G'ville Lighted Parade 2008. I lovelovelove doing parades with these pups. This one was particularly rewarding as is was at night, it was cold, and it involved a run of more than 5 MILES!!! First I got my bike, myself, and the dogs suitably "lit" and set. Then there was the judging ( clowns -like us- rarely win) and just waiting around at a central point between our twin towns. The parade was set to head north first to R'way about 1.5 miles away. Team HumDog headed out a bit ahead of the main parade, I was very nervous about how it all would pan out, and scared as well for my life! But these dogs chewed up the mileage in record speed, and we arrived with about 10 minutes to spare (...yea, I might have taken this time to get my camera all set up for some mid-parade movie making, or picture taking, but no! still too nervous to capture it on "film") White knuckles all the way, we joined the rest of the parade (about 20 other big rigs, cement trucks, fire trucks etc - lots of lights and noise!) for the loop through R'way. My heart swelled with the rush of the physical exertion, and pride in the supreme performance and behavior of my team. They were focused on the work we were doing, and many times followed commands flawlessly and left many, many, dogs and people, with no interaction on their part! There were many bonfires lit, homes ablaze with holiday lights, and countless people on the street full of good old fashioned holiday cheer. It made me tear up, to hear kids burst out laughing when they saw us. It was a beautiful thing. The run back to G'ville was over 2 miles and it was a bit sketchy as I not only didn't leave in advance of the parade, I was practically the last one out of town!! Luckily, and through pure physical studliness and drive on the part of my dogs, and myself, (spinning classes payoff big time!) we caught up to the action just as the last vehicle entered town! So we were last, but at least we were in line for that final loop for the loving crowd in G'Ville! Snoopy was a spitty faced panter by the time we arrived and Pepper actually still looked pretty fresh. That Dalmatian has some staying power! PLUS she really seems to enjoy the crowd. They were both amazingly tolerant of all the noise and distractions. It was a riot and a blast. And best of all, no crashes or dog fights! I have some video footage. Look for it soon on YouTube. On the home front, we've had lots of snow. I am too disabled for cross country skis right now, so I ordered a snoscooter. More on that, and other awesome dog powered postables in 2009. Get ready for Iditarod 37~!~!~
