Woof Stock

A few weeks ago, the dog kennels here on our military base hosted a fun outdoor dog party called "Woof Stock".  There was at least 30 dogs of all breeds and sizes who showed up with their owners.  The dogs had a great time playing and chasing each other.  There were treats for the dogs, snacks for the humans, and gorgeous weather enjoyed by all.

When we first arrived, Dulce had a great time playing with other dogs and showing off on the agility equipment.   However as more and more dogs showed up, she started to look overwhelmed and wouldn't leave our sides.  She's never been around that many dogs all at once before.

There were some adoptable dogs at the party hoping to find a new home.

There were three contests for the dogs to compete in:  Most Obedient, Best Trick, and an Eating Contest. For the Eating Contest, a dog and his owner had to eat food (canned dog food for the dog and canned stew for the humans) out of dog dishes.  They were paired against another dog and its owner. Whichever pair finished all of their food first, won.  We chose not to enter this contest... the cold canned stew didn't look very appetizing, especially in a dog dish :)

We did enter Dulce into the other two contests.  For the Most Obedient contest, the owner could use whatever verbal and nonverbal commands they wanted to show how well the dog listened and followed directions.  I went through Dulce's commands and tricks with her such as sit, lay down, roll over, 'bang' (play dead), stay, leave it, and high five.  For the Best Trick contest, the dog had to perform one trick. We came prepared for this since the contests were advertised in the Woof Stock flyers.  We brought Dulce's toy basket and some toys and had her "put away your toys" in the basket.

There were many dogs that competed in the contests but Dulce ended up winning FIRST PLACE in both of the contests she entered!  She won two big baskets full of food, treats, toys, dog shampoo, and a bed.

Our happy winner :)

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"We give dogs time we can spare, space we can spare, and

love we can spare.  And in return, dogs give us their all.

It's the best deal man has ever made."

~M. Acklam