Dade 'Walk for the Animals'
Feb. 26th, 2005 08:18 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
sff_corgi_ljD'Argo and I participated in the local Humane Society Fundraiser this year; I'd done Broward's once or twice (next county north), but not for a few years. I didn't have the energy to do any fundraising this year -- it's one of those pledge arrangements, y'know? I just went with me and the dog and my own donation, poached from the house tax cash [/shifty look].
I had to get up extra early. D'Argo's white, I'm pink [/BillyConnolly], we both needed sunscreen but I didn't think we had any that wasn't old-old around here. I had to run to the local Walgreen's for baby sunscreen, then make sure I was packed: Treo, water bottles (no such thing as too much water), spritz bottle to keep us both wet enough for coolth, registration form. When we got to the event after 9 -- registration opened at 8:30 -- there were already hordes of dogs. Lots of them were itty-bitties: Yorkies, Chihuahuas, that lot. Purina sponsored the goodie bags. I got the event T-shirt, a dog frisbee (I'll throw it, D'Argo'll look at it, look at me, wander off. Heh.) some adoption flyers to put up, the H.S. magazine, a packet of kibble (corn, corn, ambiguous bird product, ambiguous animal product, ambiguous animal product, supplements -- yum) and Nylabone's answer to the 'Greenie', which is a tooth-cleaning dog snack. Not bad.
Winn-Dixie had free fresh fruit (bananas, nice ones; and big oranges) as refreshments -- that was both surprising and impressive. Starbucks had a booth, as did Silver Tray Cookies (which is a VERY good bakery), for the humans; the artist who created the walk poster/T-shirt was also there, as were a vet and boutique or two.
The Grand Marshall finally cut the 'Rib-bone' and off we walked for a one-mile loop around Bayfront Park - along the bay side over to the Hotel IntraContinental, all the way along Biscayne Boulevard past where they're already starting setup for a reggae festival up to the edge of Bayside Mall, along their service road back to the bay (pause for valet parking), then back to the middle. The crowd thinned out pretty fast. D'Argo was towing me a little bit, so we stayed pretty close to the front; the Chihuahua puppy probably fell behind pretty fast. We finished up about the same time as the single corgi in the crowd (Pembroke, unsurprisingly, but both the dog and kir humans were unattentive and uninteresting -- bah) and the slot-machine-supporting English bulldog, bull mastiff and standard cafe-au-lait (kinda unusual and pretty coat-colour)poodle French water dog group.
The most interesting dogs I saw were the pair of tricolour Basenjis - such sharp markings - the rather crooked-looking Neopolitan mastiff (I don't remember their hips being higher than their shoulders), and of all things, a Greater Swiss Mountain Dog, a 'Swissie'. His human said I was the only one who knew what he was *beam*. They're very similar to Bernese (who knows their geography?!), but the Bernese have a much thicker, fluffier coat; the Swissie has a smooth, hard coat, not too unlike a boxer's.
And when we got back home, we both spent the afternoon crashing. ^_^ Nah, it wasn't a long walk, but it was a couple hours on our various feet in the sun.
I had to get up extra early. D'Argo's white, I'm pink [/BillyConnolly], we both needed sunscreen but I didn't think we had any that wasn't old-old around here. I had to run to the local Walgreen's for baby sunscreen, then make sure I was packed: Treo, water bottles (no such thing as too much water), spritz bottle to keep us both wet enough for coolth, registration form. When we got to the event after 9 -- registration opened at 8:30 -- there were already hordes of dogs. Lots of them were itty-bitties: Yorkies, Chihuahuas, that lot. Purina sponsored the goodie bags. I got the event T-shirt, a dog frisbee (I'll throw it, D'Argo'll look at it, look at me, wander off. Heh.) some adoption flyers to put up, the H.S. magazine, a packet of kibble (corn, corn, ambiguous bird product, ambiguous animal product, ambiguous animal product, supplements -- yum) and Nylabone's answer to the 'Greenie', which is a tooth-cleaning dog snack. Not bad.
Marilyn of Harbor Grace Cardigans Corgis has prodded me into reading dogfood ingredients more closely, which is what prompts the Spam-like corn recitation above. One site I was looking at pointed out how most commercial pet kibbles bulk up with substandard extruded grain products sprayed with recycled restaurant grease. [grimace] I say again, yum. She recommends Solid Gold petfoods, btw. I read their canned food ingredients and it's meat-and-veg with vitamins and minerals. All very straightforward.Bob Soper is one of the walk promoters. He's one of our local TV meteorologists and has been supporting this for a while, including plugging the new shelter in North Miami Beach He made some announcements and introductions from the stage, also introducing University of Miami President Donna Shalala, formerly of Pres. Clinton's cabinet. Had to feel kinda sorry for the guy in the Sebastian the Ibis mascot costume....
Winn-Dixie had free fresh fruit (bananas, nice ones; and big oranges) as refreshments -- that was both surprising and impressive. Starbucks had a booth, as did Silver Tray Cookies (which is a VERY good bakery), for the humans; the artist who created the walk poster/T-shirt was also there, as were a vet and boutique or two.
The Grand Marshall finally cut the 'Rib-bone' and off we walked for a one-mile loop around Bayfront Park - along the bay side over to the Hotel IntraContinental, all the way along Biscayne Boulevard past where they're already starting setup for a reggae festival up to the edge of Bayside Mall, along their service road back to the bay (pause for valet parking), then back to the middle. The crowd thinned out pretty fast. D'Argo was towing me a little bit, so we stayed pretty close to the front; the Chihuahua puppy probably fell behind pretty fast. We finished up about the same time as the single corgi in the crowd (Pembroke, unsurprisingly, but both the dog and kir humans were unattentive and uninteresting -- bah) and the slot-machine-supporting English bulldog, bull mastiff and standard cafe-au-lait (kinda unusual and pretty coat-colour)
The most interesting dogs I saw were the pair of tricolour Basenjis - such sharp markings - the rather crooked-looking Neopolitan mastiff (I don't remember their hips being higher than their shoulders), and of all things, a Greater Swiss Mountain Dog, a 'Swissie'. His human said I was the only one who knew what he was *beam*. They're very similar to Bernese (who knows their geography?!), but the Bernese have a much thicker, fluffier coat; the Swissie has a smooth, hard coat, not too unlike a boxer's.
And when we got back home, we both spent the afternoon crashing. ^_^ Nah, it wasn't a long walk, but it was a couple hours on our various feet in the sun.
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no subject
Date: 2005-02-27 04:22 am (UTC)Reading your post, I amused myself by contemplating a Humane Society "cat walk." O_o I'm sure the fur would fly. However, my girls say they'd be happy to participate in a "Sleep-A-Thon" anytime!
Grocery store pet food is yucky. I can't do the DIY raw-food diet, but I do buy Royal Canin, Wellness, Max Cat, and now, a special prescription formula that's easier on aging kitty kidneys.
no subject
Date: 2005-02-27 04:27 am (UTC)