I changed the blog header to a more "spring" like photo in hopes that the warmer weather we are having will stick around! It's supposed to be 70 degrees tomorrow- Yee Haw! The title photo and others posted here were taken in the garden displays at the Home and Garden show we visited Thursday.
.I had to stop and sit a lot, but Dazzle did GREAT and was a hit with many of the vendors and attendees, who asked me all about him. His new harness came in handy to get me out of a few of the low chairs without having to strain my knees. Thankfully we found the hidden elevator so I didn't need to do the steps. Not sure what the designer was thinking when he placed the elevator! I had to ask for directions to it and it was hidden in an alcove.
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As I was setting Dazzle up for his photos, there were a few times when other people took their own photos of him :-) I asked the vendors if it was ok before I put him up on the walls and both times, the vendors took their own photos, with big grins on their faces, saying things like "what a cool dog!" He was very respectful of the displays and didn't do his usual "gardening and pruning" as he walked by that he likes to do with other landscaping. He did grab a nibble of mulch at one point though.
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Things that got his attention were some golf balls being putted on a fake putting green, ribbons blowing on an HVAC display and a person bouncing a basket ball in one of the booths (selling portable B-ball hoops.) In all of these cases, he wanted to get the items and play! But he did come away from them with encouragement. He was unsure of some of the cement statues in the garden department, but after carefully sniffing them, he acted like they were no big deal, even on a second pass later. I did need to pet the big cement "pig" (which I admit was an evil looking thing with very beady eyes) to get him to trust it. He had no issue with any of the cute and jolly pigs though.
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Only thing that spooked him was a water fountain right at his nose level that filled a bucket, which dumped just as he looked away. He didn't expect the bucket to dump and it surprized him. But he did eventually (15 seconds or so) recover and go back to sniff it and never barked. Given how many strange things he saw at this event, he did exceptionally well! Stuff like guys climbing big trees at the Back tree services booth, 2 screaming kids in a double stroller going right by us, a display of blowing packing peanuts in a big clear box, LOTS of people of all shapes and sizes, waterfalls, things hanging and moving over head, strange statues at nose level, screeching microphones and who knows what else that he took in stride and I didn't notice.
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There was only one small patch of the carpet runners he was REALLY interested in and didn't want to leave, but everywhere else (same carpet, as well as different flooring surfaces) he ignored the floor. I told the people watching him that I didn't know what was so interesting in the carpet and probably didn't WANT to know! :-) There were several stains I didn't let him investigate, but he was pulling for them and I just waiting till he realized pulling wasn't getting him anything and he came back to me. I had to remind him a few times he was supposed to be with me (not whoever was walking in front of us), but I'd say 98% of the time he was by my side with a loose leash.
.Here's an Easter Theme photo.
Such an adorable face :-)
While his front legs aren't straight here, it's clear he's out of square again. His butt is higher than his shoulders. He grew a 1/2 inch last week though. He's now exactly 23" tall at the shoulders (7 mo. and 1 week old.) I wonder how much he will grow to "square up." Looks like at least an inch based on this photo :-)
