OZ GOES TO THE DOGS

Written for Bobbe White’s “White Pages”  for WTAD.COM

At the “Wizard of Paws Mutt Strut” Saturday, there were hounds by the handful; dogs by the dozens. My friend, Michele and I, took Louie, her handsome Pointer.  While volunteering at Quincy Humane Society, Michele’s family adopted Louie.  The car ride alone was like Christmas. Louie had no idea what awaited him. Imagine Dr. Seuss’s book, “Go Dogs, Go!” in real time.

There were big dogs and little dogs;                                                                                                             fat dogs and skinny dogs.                                                                                                                                 Dogs with snouts that resembled pigs…                                                                                                   and dogs with bodies, bigger than big!

There were brown dogs and black dogs and white dogs, too. There were purebreds and mixedbreds and dogs with bed head. We saw Labradoodles, Goldendoodles and weinerdoodles. Not kidding.  One king-sized Great Dane should enter the Preakness, not the Mutt Strut. Seriously, do you need a guest house for a dog of that magnitude?

It wasn’t just a dog party, but a fundraiser for furry foster children, in need of forever homes. The staff even remembered Louie, after four years!

Add a party theme and there’s entertainment for hours. One Dorothy and her little dog, Toto, too, were dead ringers. I loved the Golden, with c-c-c-courage to wear a perfectly matched lion’s mane. The dog/owner look-alike contest was a crowd pleaser, too.  I’d vote for the Dachshund and wicked witch, wearing pointy hats and wild hair, or the platinum-haired lady and Bishon.  Apparently, they use the same hair stylist and blow dryer. Can a doppelganger can be a dog?

Humane Society staff and volunteers do this, because they simply adore dogs.  Vendors donated hundreds of free dog treats.   Watching so many people and pets smiling or laughing at each other’s dogs and their antics was like an endorphin fest, which included a LOT of barking, wagging and sniffing. Only one dog ran away from its owner and one Labrador was trolling for a babe. The former was eventually caught; the latter was told to get a room…  The Mutt-Strut isn’t exactly the opportunity you’d pick, to answer your own pup’s birds-bees questions.

Besides the strut, the organizers set up a timed obstacle course. Louie excelled, but we left before awards. After two hours of a park full of canines, which possibly had too much coffee before coming, we were exhausted and headed to Starbucks for a free Puppacino. Next year, if you need a mood boost, attend Mutt Strut and consider a donation of any amount.  Happier hounds, you’ll never see. I’m wondering, “Is there a Mutt Strut for cats?” I mean, you can’t put them on a leash, can you? If they’re not in the mood, the obstacle course would be a total snore and they’d roll their eyes at an owner/cat look-a-like deal. I envision the cats’ equivalent as more of a spa-day, with tuna, milk and lots of couches to hide behind.