This past weekend, we (my friend Nicole, her 5 month old standard poodle puppy, Isis, the girls and I) attended the Woofstock Festival for Dogs in Toronto (www.woofstock.com). It's supposed to be the biggest dog festival in North America!!! They estimate that 140,000 people attended and who knows how many dogs!!

There are over 200 doggie vendors and lots of events, pools to wade in, bowls of water everywhere - even snow cones for the dogs at one booth!

We stayed at the King Edward hotel (very posh) for $139/night. We had three dogs and two adults. We got a welcome package from the hotel with 3 stuffed bone squeeky toys, three tennis balls and 6 bone shaped doggie emery boards and of course, poop bags!

We left Windsor on Friday afternoon and came home last night. Wow – time flew! We left Toronto about 5pm so got home late last night and up early today for work. YUCK!

Taiga was so exhausted! I brought the dog stroller that I used for Chinook last year (since she was almost 14 and needed to have a break sometimes). Thank goodness for the stroller! She is getting so heavy! Last Wednesday she weighed 13lbs 4oz!! She had so many socialization experiences this weekend that she should be ready for anything!

Here are just a few:
·Revolving door
·Elevator
·Stroller
·Valet, doormen, bell hops, & hotel behaviour
·Pottying on pavement when necessary (the hotel is 2 blocks from any grass) and on command while travelling
·Steel grates with air coming through or subways below, traffic, Yonge street, street musicians
·Fountains
·Crowds (est. 140,000 plus all their dogs)
·Dogs of all sizes including trying to play with a
HUGE Great Dane
·Sharing water bowl with Isis (my friend’s 5mth old
Standard Poodle Puppy)
·Outdoor cafe
·Innumerable people touching, petting, photographing her
·Enticing smells and tastes to completely overwhelm
·Heat, cool
·Car rides
·And many more!!!
·
I am VERY proud of both my girls!! Luna heeled perfectly beside me, just behind the stroller – that kept her from getting stepped on. Taiga walked some, rode some and was carried some and always minded her manners.

This is my third year at Woofstock and the first time I have seen any other Kees. I met another lady with a Kees too but I can’t remember her name. So, including Luna and Taiga, I saw 4 other Kees at Woofstock! WOO HOO!!

My friend Nicole, who is a professional groomer by trade, had chalked her white standard poodle puppy a candy cotton shade of lilac – and was quite an attention grabber! She was in the Toronto Sun newspaper and on various news channels. She probably won’t dye her dog again next year as it is hard to shop when people keep asking about the purple poodle and photographing them. I have been asking her to go to Woofstock for the last couple of years and FINALLY she came with me!! She definitely wants to come back next year!1

Taiga had the same problem – the cuteness factor caused a big stir. I am sure there are photos of her and Luna all over the place.. LOL!

All in all, it was a FANTASTIC weekend and we WILL be back next year!

If you have the opportunity to go next year - I highly recommend it!

Nothing like people watching and dog watching at the same time!

 

by Alecia