2009 Maricopa Mutt March!

I love our little town. We're far away from everything (20 miles from the next town,) surrounded by the reservation, but I love it.
Sherman, Patton, and I participated in the 2009 Maricopa Mutt March, yesterday.

Maricopa needs a bark park. I never heard of a bark park until I moved to AZ. Basically, it is a fenced in area of grass for dogs to run loose and play. I sometimes take the boys to a bark park about 20 miles from home, and they love it. They get to romp and play with other dogs. When we first brought the dogs home, the bark park was a great way to socialize them. Also, in their younger days, they would sprint in all their glory, remembering their racing days. Now that they are older, they are happy to trot around, and pester all the other owners to pet them. Ha!

Anyway, Maricopa does not have a bark park. The Mutt March was developed as a fundraiser to provide additional funds to build a park park. (The city has finally designated land for the park, and we should see one by 2012.)

Anyway, yesterday was the Mutt March - it was so much fun! It was a 2 mile walk, and exhausted the boys, and there were a lot of vendors to peruse and visit. We hung out at the GPA-AZ booth (Greyhound Pets of America - AZ chapter,) where the boys were simply loved on by all that passed. Sherman also took the opportunity to sleep. God forbid he does not get enough sleep.

The boys dressed up for the occasion, and everyone loved them. The played in the temporary bark park they had set up at the event, they walked in the march, and shopped at all the vendors with dog treats. (I swear Sherman is a doggie garbage disposal - he ate tons of treats while we were there, all the vendors wanted to give him a bone, and of course he took them.)

Patton was so well behaved! Its been over a year since his attack. Ever since the attack, he has been dog-reactive while on his leash. Basically, he becomes Cujo, and is thinking, "I'll eat your face off before you eat my face off." Poor Patton. However, after over a year of hard work, he has become less tense, and less reactive. I took him to the even yesterday, and he was a totally different dog! He was calm, allowing dogs to sniff him- big and small- with no snarling, growling, or teeth-baring! I was SO HAPPY! Yay Patton! (After the past year of his Cujo behavior, it is so nice to see my old, happy-go-lucky Patton back.)