[pyrnet] Parade News

[Diana Brown <nixie@mad.scientist.com>]

Dear dog-lovers,

I am sending to both the beauceron and Pyrenees lists, as it is too hard to type this much stuff with paws even once, much less twice.  So hello to all the black and the white pups out there from Calysto. We had a very exciting Parade Day, and I promised to come back and tell everyone all about it, so here you go....

Mom made an appointment for me to go see the nice dog grooming people (they give me treats and pets, which makes the bath thing not so bad!).  We got up eeeearly on Saturday morning, to be at the grommer's by 7.  At 12:30, they hadn't even started me yet, even though they knew mom had to be at the parade place at 2:30.  Mom was *furious.*  She was so mad, she let dad handle it so she wouldn't go ballistic on anyone.  When dad called at 12:30 and they hadn't started yet, thye decided to just brush me out (fortunately that helped a lot.  Mom said I didn't look at *all* like I had been rolling in the mud out back!).  So, Phobos and I spent *all* morning in crates at the groomers, and never got our baths.  And after not bathing us, and not having us ready on time, and almost making mom late cause they couldn't pick us up til 1:30 and the parade place was all the way across town, they even charged her something called "full price" which seemed to make mom mad.  She was well-behaved though, and dad left them a letter saying how bad he thought all that was, and what a shadow it cast on our parade day.  Mom says they better call and make nice int he next few days, or she's never going back there again.  Y'know, mom gets pretty excited about stuff sometimes - but I guess if she didn't, she wouldn't be mom...

Anyway, after that, we drove down to the parade place.  Mom left all my starts and stuff in the car til we could find the Pyrenees people.  When we walked into the main area, a nice man came up to us and said "are you with Enchantment Great Pyrenees?" and mom said "I hope so - if I can find them" and eh said "They are #25 - they are already lined up - just walk down this street for a few blocks and you will catch up with them."  So we walked along the street til we found the orange cone marked #25 - well, actually, til we found #30 or so - then some people with big white shaggy dogs started waving at us!!

They had expected lots of dogs, but the day was gray and overcats - um, I mean overcast - so I guess some dogs stayed home (it is hard for your peopole to take you walking when it's cold outside).  There were five other Pyrs, and most of them already knew who I was!  They greeted me by name - and some even remembered me from last year when I was at Animal Humane.  then someone said "that looks like a such-and-such dog!"  It seems that I have really light eyes for a pyr, and one kennel near here is known for that.  Then, someone else said that judging by my teeth I was @ 5 years old (not 4 like AH thought) - and didn't I look *just* like the male from that such-and-such kennel litter 5-6 years ago?  So mom says, next she wants to track down this kennel and talk to the breeder and see if maybe I could be form there - isn't that cool?

Anyway, back to parades.  I was not really sure what a parade was - and it wasn't too impressive at first. We sat around, after initial hellos people didn't say much to me, and I wasn't allowed to sniff noses with any of the other pretty snowball dogs.  Then dad and Phobos came up with my costume stuff - and someone said something very apologetic - guess they thought Phobos wanted to walk with us - as if I'd let him! - and they said that only Pyrenees could play and dad said oh, no, we're just delivering Calysto's stuff - and he helped mom dress me up (I must have looked nice, because a man mom called a TV cameraman took lots of pictures of my decorations).

Finally, something fun happened - we started to walk.  I didn't realize a parade involved going for a walk!  But it was even better than that - All of us pretty shaggy white dogs got to walk - not down the middle of the road like everyone else, but back and forth, from side to side, where people were sitting and waiting to pet us!  Mom would wal kby and people would say "oh what a pretty dog" and we would go visit and get pets!  I must have been petted by *hundreds* of people!!  Then, just as it would get fun, mom would say something about 'catching up' and we would have to go.  We ran a lot, and then stopped for pets, then ran, then stopped for pets - run, pets, run, pets - for a long time!!  Mom said something about the banner marching the parade all by itself, cause all the dogs were busy and either ahead or behind it - I just know that lots of people petted me!

Afterward, we went to meet dad at the Plaza - and while we waited for dad and Phobos to catch up, lots *more* people came up to pet me and tell me I am pretty!!  A couple of times, there were so many people, mom and I were completely surrounded!!!

Usually, when we go out, everyone ignores mom's fancy rare french dog and asks what the pretty white dog is - and dad says that lots of people were afraid to approach Phobos for pets - dad said he thinks grown-ups think Phobos is scary (ha!  that little tennis-ball-chasing face-biter?  Who'd be scared of a goofy dog like that!) but that lots of kids asked if they could pet the doggy.  And lots of folks smiled at his leash (it is green, so mom garlanded it with red ribbon and jingle bells).  But of course, the one time it has to happen - someone stopped to ask dad about his dog, and as he was explaining what a beauceron was - well, when he was done, a looked up just in time to take pictures of Pyrenees tails!!!  Mom scowled and said something about being sad he didn't get the club banner and all the dogs - and then laughed and said that the dogs weren't, mostly, anywhere near the banner anyway, so she guessed it was ok.

In all, it was a very fun day, and I met several other very nice Pyrenees, including Chinook (and a sibling whose name I can't remember - sorry!) and Glacier, and a pyrenees puppy called "Tuc" (for thoseof you from English-speaking nations, that's pronounced "tooook" and is short for Tucumcari, which is the name of a city and probably means something).  Mom hadn't ever sen a pyr puppy before, and she thought he looked very differemt, but cute -but he got growled at for sniffing to close to someone's nose (guess that's why mom wouldn't let me play with the other Pyrs?).  Chinook belongs to the head of the club, and both of their Pyrs carried candy canes - of which I did not receive even one! They all went to kids on the side of the road <sigh>

I think that is all of my Parade story.  Mom says to tell you that Phobos did very well - it was his first time out in such a big, pressing crowd, and he was a little nervous (ducked behind dad a couple of times when weird stuff happened, like the little cars driving around in circles and honking their horns at him).  Mom says he was very steady - had his dander up, but did not misbehave - and that if he wants to run to other side of dad instead of being near traffic, that is fine with her.  He was still friendly, well-behaved, and not aggressive - just worried, protective, and occasionally hid behind dad when he wasn't sure he was big enough to protect <lol>. (for those of you who haven't met dad, he has a big booming police man voice, and can make anyone feel safe).

Hope everyone else had as much fun as I did this weekend.  I have to go now - mom says she needs the phone line so she can call the tv station and see if she can get some of the film of us and of my decorations, since dad didn't get any really good pictures....

Woof!
Calysto

______________________________________________
FREE Personalized Email at Mail.com
Sign up at http://www.mail.com/?sr=signup