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| Dixie is a star in the Fast Pup Dog Training Booth |
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| Taking an informational brochure on dog training services |
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| Taking pictures of the dogs in the Fast Pup Dog Training Booth |
The Northwest Flower And Garden Show is the biggest, most complicated venue the dogs and I have worked yet. We are at the Seattle Convention Center, a sprawling complex famous for bottle-necking Interstate 5 through downtown because it was decided years ago to build this complex over and and around the freeway--preventing expansion of lanes in the future.
Because of the unseasonal snow and ice, the show apparently has been unusually slow. Yet there are so many visitors that walking through the isles is extremely challenging with the dogs. Yesterday, upon arriving, I took the dogs out to the Freeway Park outside of the Convention Center for an airing. When they were sufficiently relieved, we headed back toward the doors. There were quite a few people coming in and out the doors to the park, so I sat the dogs down about 20 feet from the doors and began calling them in one at a time. My focus is safety. I don't want anyone to trip over several dogs underfoot. When they were all indoors, safely by my side, I turned to figure out the best way to navigate through the halls back to our booth. I was stunned to see a large and growing group of people with cameras--all taking pictures of my dogs. They all had still cameras--not movie cameras. I was amused--but puzzled at the same time. I have heard that nearly 60 percent or more of households in the US have dogs--and certainly anyone who likes dogs has owned one. So for people to take pictures of my dogs seems so strange. When they get home, they are going to have a picture of a dog. Not a dog doing a trick--or anything unusual--just a picture of a dog.
A gal in the booth across from me told me that she thought the reason people gather to stare at the dogs is the same reason people gather to stare at and take pictures of street performers who go out in parks and strike a pose--like a statue. It is so unusual. And rare.
Well--to anyone visiting the NW Flower And Garden Show, I hope Fast Pup Dog Training will raise the expectations people have of dogs. Dogs can be well behaved around severe distractions and in crowds of people. They can be off leash and under voice control at all times. It does not need to be a "rare" performance by some unusual dogs. With proper training, all dogs can be trustworthy around distractions.
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