Monday, October 6, 2008

Our Day at Bark in The Park


Yesterday Louise and I attended our first "Bark in The Park," which is a fund raiser for Lafayette (LA) Animal Aid.

It was a warm, sunshine filled day with hundreds of dogs and their humans attending.
Everything from Mastiffs to Teacup Yorkies were there to join in the fun.

There were booths from a variety of great animal organizations: Best Friends, Pets for Health, the Acadiana Kennel Club and more. You could get your dog's picture taken, nails trimmed and microchipped.

There also were three contests: Best Tail Wagger, Most Talented & Best Costume.
Louise entered the costume contest, wearing her (designed by me) Hawaiian Hula Girl outfit.


















When it was our turn, Louise strutted her stuff to about halfway around the ring, when she suddenly got whiff of a wonderful scent (to a Basset, that is) and decided to stop, drop and roll with wreckless abandon, much to the delight of the crowd. My girl knew how to work it! ;)














I finally succeeded in getting her put back together and going again and she exited the ring with not a care in the world.










We anxiously awaited the Judges' decision and were thrilled when we heard our number announced. We'd won Third Place and got a beautiful yellow and white Rosette to commemorate our day!
I was so proud of my girl. We had a great time and Louise made some people smile.

Friday, October 3, 2008

Friday Flashback - Mabel













Mabel brings us to the final edition of Friday Flashback.

Mabel came to us at 9 years young, after her last owner dumped her at a shelter, due to repeated warnings about Mabel's constant escaping through a hole in their fence. We were told that this person had inherited Mabel after her original owner was admitted to a nursing home.

She was such an easy dog to love and returned it a hundred fold.
She was petite for a Basset, tipping the scales at around 40 pounds at her heaviest. She had a crooked little face with a Roman Nose, that we were never quite sure was due to bad genetics or an injury not properly treated.....or both. But it was her trademark, and it made humans fall in love with her the moment they met her.

She loved to play with toys. Because of her misshapen mouth, she could only grasp certain types of toys, but luckily for her, they were the toys the other dogs didn't like, so those became her very own.

We had and still have a futon on the back porch. Mabel claimed it as hers and where she most loved to take her daily naps in the sun.

She was a well mannered little lady, but had a plucky side too. If she wasn't getting the attention she felt she should at any given moment, she'd just raise a crooked little leg and smack ya! :) She also took great fun in waiting by the door and smacking Jingle on the head as she entered.

We lost Mabel in April at nearly 15, after an almost year and half battle with chronic renal failure. She fought the good fight until she could fight no more. We'll miss her everyday until we're reunited at the Rainbow Bridge.
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