Dog party

Today was one of my favorite neighborhood events of the year!

It's Paws on Grand, known in my circle (e.g. Josh and my family) as Dog Day, when St. Paul's Grand Avenue businesses all rally together to create this mini-festival for dogs, owners, and dog fans.  I fall into the third category.  Josh and I have been in dog-related discussions for ages and are finally getting more serious about it.  This future canine companion would be the third dog in my life.  My family loves collies: the first, Chablis, died when I was five or six, and the second, Hayden, saw me all the way through high school.

It was a Big Deal when my family brought Hayden home, as my brother, Phillip, illustrates in this report:

But can you blame us?  He really was a furball with legs.

He's averting his eyes from my knee socks.



He's sliding on ice.



That's where the dog love all began.  I love all kinds, but especially big furry ones.

Here is a brief synopsis of Paws on Grand, courtesy of the neighborhood newspaper, the Highland Villager:

Now, let the photo essay commence!  This first snapshot is fitting somehow because the two girls on the left look very excited to see me.  I was trying to capture the monster dog waiting outside the ice cream shop and only later realized it was my sister and her friend Emily, who had been trying to cross paths with me for a few blocks.

I adore Samoyeds.  He is totally ruling this crosswalk, isn't he?

I don't even know what kind of dog this is but was admiring his or her festive costume. 

I pet this dog while the owners and I agreed how wonderful collies are. 

Even the restaurants celebrated dogs.  At Salut, these were the advertised specials:

This is the lone Keeshond I saw.  A Keeshond is the front-runner in our dog search--I realize now because these dogs also fall into the "furball with legs" category that my brother outlined in his report.

There were a pleasing number of puppies out enjoying the day and learning to socialize.

Here's a charming pack I spotted from across the street. Josh also wants one of these guys, but I'm reluctant.

"Hello, I like your hat!"

As advertised, there were wading pools.

Later in the afternoon, we plopped down onto a bus stop bench to rest and survey the scene.  My brother joined us here!  Before long, we noticed that there was a fifth member in our party, relaxing under the bench.

It was a long day for the dogs.  Behind us, this friend was looking mildly irritated.

And finally, Emily snapped a family photo.  The police officer in the background was on hand to make sure the dog party didn't get out of control.

Last night, Josh wondered out loud if the dogs knew what was going on--like last night was their own personal Christmas Eve and they were so excited they could hardly sleep. 

After seeing the wonderful mayhem that unfolded today, I can only guess that the answer is yes. 

Or maybe it's just me.