Celtic Festival

Yesterday, mom and I went to a Celtic Festival (www.sasmm.com) that welcomed dogs!  I was so, so excited!  So many people, dogs, and new things.  I met Irish wolfhounds (they look like a giant terrier, but aren't) that made me look like a small dog, an Irish Deerhound, Greyhounds, Westies, Rough Collies, Golden Retrievers, a Corgi, and some Border Collies.  I love to meet new dogs and people.  Lots and lots of people asked to pet me and sometimes, I remembered to not be too pushy about it until the people invited me.  Mom wants me to learn to wait for people to want to pet me instead of me assuming that all people will love me.

I was good about not being afraid of all the loud noises.  Those pipers are loud but I was ok with them.  I just kept pulling on the leash because I was so eager to go to the next thing and mom is pretty slow.  She did a whole lot of training and finally after a couple of hours there, I started listening to her again.  When I picked up a stick, she used that and I remembered all my training then.  I love sticks and toys best of all.  Liver is nice but toys are best!

Dog Parade of "Celtic" Breeds

There was a collie (smaller than me) that pulled a little cart and mom talked to the lady (www.collieclubofmaryland.net).  She recommended the cart place that caught her eye earlier.  Mom was glad to get a good recommendation for them so she is putting the starter cart kit on her list for late summer when I should be all healed up and ready: http://www.wilczekwoodworks.com/starter.php

Collie pulling a cart, Border Collies in the Parade.
I can do that!

One of the Greyhound ladies told mom my martingale collar to was too loose and adjusted it.  I responded a bit better after than and mom was glad for the help.  She told mom that a wider collar would be better and she gave her the name of a place that made pretty ones: http://www.houndstown.com/

We watched Border Collies working sheep.  Boy are they good but they look just like a predator stalking the sheep.  This was the first time I have ever seen sheep but I just knew that I was born to herd sheep!  I so wanted to go out and help the Border Collies.  They do what they are told and I don't know those things, but I really, really wanted to try.  I wouldn't slink down to the ground like they do tho and stare with the hard eye.  I would stand upright and look at them to tell them to go the other way and race to the other side to move them back like I do to the neighbors on their ATVs.  It was hard to contain myself, but I stayed with mom and another lady who petted me and told me to stay.

I was born to do that!

We met a modern smooth collie that a couple had rescued in Richmond, VA.  He was sweet but seemed less sure of himself than I am.  His coat was a lot shorter than mine and he was smaller than me with a lot narrower face.  He was a sable and white like me with more white and his tail looked almost exactly the same as mine.

Almost everybody said how pretty I am and wanted to know what kind of dog I am.  Mom tells them she thinks I'm a old fashioned smooth collie like they were a hundred years ago.  Late in the day, mom saw that the ice cream man had Frostie Paws, so she got me one.  Yummy!  After we were done, she asked me to get trash so I picked up the pieces and gave them to her at the trash can.  She then started tossing her water bottle a little ways and asked me to get it so I had fun playing that game while she listened to music.  Pretty soon, a couple of young boys played with me too.  They were impressed at how fast I am!

It was a fun day, but I was pretty tired at the end of it.  It is tiring being (sort of) good all day.

There were a lot of these guys

Now, that's a big dog!

Listening to music and eating ice cream

Watching some historic fencing