Freedom for Beagles - The Third to the Last Booth at Niles Dog Show

We visited ALL of the booths at the dog show. They were pretty much everything we expected them to be - lots of vets and lots of people selling dog-centric stuff.

But then we happened upon the THIRD BOOTH FROM THE END and we were stopped in our tracks. The sign said "Beagle Freedom" and we thought. . . FROM WHAT? It was news to us that a Beagle would need liberating. . .we hadn't heard they were oppressed pups or anything.

So we asked - What's up with this?

The nice lady at the booth told us quite succinctly - freedom from being used as TEST ANIMALS! She went on to explain that some of the leading companies are STILL using animal testing for their products. It is cruel to do so - I think we can pretty much all agree to that!

BUT WHY BEAGLES? I asked. Simply put, she explained, they are docile and sweet tempered animals and that is what makes them good test animals. That does not make sense to me, I said. But it is so true. To prove it she gave us the URL for a BEAGLE rights group - www.beaglefreedomproject.org. She said she even ADOPTED a former test BEAGLE and it is the best dog in the world! I believe her, too.

So I did some ONLINE EXPLORATION and know what? She is right. In 2010 the Beagle Freedom project was launched to highlight the plight of these dogs and test animals in general. Some people BREED dogs for the sole purpose of selling them to labs!!!! Is that insane? These animals are subjected to horrible things, some that kill, some that maim, and some that just hurt. There are alternatives to testing on animals but they COST MORE to do so companies do not do them. Countries around the world are banning animal testing. Why can't the USA do the same?

Using animals as test subjects is the same mindset as thinking a pet is disposable.

I told the nice lady at the booth that I would do my part to let others know about this problem. I mean, I am a pretty educated PUG and if I did not know about BEAGLE TESTING then I am pretty sure some of you might not have heard of it either.

And while we are at it, if all of us STOP using products from these companies who test on animals, then perhaps THEY WILL STOP doing so....

The Doggone Duo

Back at the Niles Dog Show. . . .

Meet Joyce and Gail
and their furbabies Brutus and Ginger

So the VENDORS at the show were very friendly and giving of their time as well as their goodies. We got all kinds of stuff, especially from the VETERINARIAN booths. Stuff like FRISBEES, LEASHES, TOOTHBRUSHES AND PASTE, and so on. I loves that stuff and Mommy puts a lot of it to use, too. Our travel bag is filled with goodies which make us feel at home when we travel and a lot of it came from dog shows and baseball games.

TWO of our most favorite vendors were The DOGGONE DUO. We initially stopped because we could not make any sense out of what their business was. There was this TINY dog house with a stuffed dog in it - but that said nothing about their business. So we stopped to chat and find out why they were at a dog show.

Well much to our surprise, they are local REALTORS! But as we all know, to be successful a business needs a HOOK - something to draw the audience in. Well their HOOK is DOGS! Pets, really. Joyce and Gail donate part of each and every one of their commissions to non-kill shelters and rescues throughout the San Francisco Bay Area! Isn't that cool? You and I both know how much money it takes to run a shelter - to feed and care for the hundreds (dare I say it, Thousands) of rejected and abandoned dogs, cats, pocket pets, and so on. 

Not only are they putting their MONEY where their MOUTH is (are???), but they also incorporate pet awareness in everything they do. When they are selling a house, they provide boarding for pets so they won't get lost or upset by all of the strangers around. As they told me -  “Our priority is making sure it’s a smooth transition for everyone involved—both two and four-legged!” These are the ladies we got the Pet Owner Ten Commandments from.

Isn't that just wonderful? I liked them so much I kept going behind the table to "talk" to them. They were very very nice. They encouraged Mommy to enter their hourly drawing where they were giving away gift cards to Petco and Petsmart. Guess what! Mommy WON! What a hoot! She never wins ANYTHING!

Look them up - especially if you live in the area and are buying or selling a house. I guarantee you will like them and all they do.

After we left the DOGGONE DUO, we managed to score some food, some TREATS (of which I get NONE) and even a couple of bandannas. We stopped at this one booth where the people were selling SUNGLASSES holders for dogs. Guaranteed to keep sunglasses in place. So I thought, why not(?) and I tried them on. Well, the makers of the holder did not take SNOUTLESS pups into account when making their device and so it was less than successful on me. As you can see, the glasses are askew on my face. And if you look closely you will see the glasses were actually resting ABOVE my eyes. EPIC FAIL!

We chatted to ALL of the dog boarding, day care, walker, trainer vendors. They were pretty nice and gave Mommy all kinds of ideas. No, she is not thinking of going ANYWHERE and boarding me. But it is nice to know where the places are and how the owners run their businesses.

There is one more table I want to talk about but I will leave that for tomorrow. In the meantime, get a load of THIS - our LOOT from the Niles Dog Show

Showtime at Niles Dog Show

There was a lot more to do at the Niles Dog Show than prance around a ring of hay bales and harass vendors for treats. There was also exhibitions!!!

This was an exhibition of birds 

One of the funnest exhibition was the sheep herding put on by Cutter's Quarters Border Collies. It was pretty funny to see the dogs gathering the sheep and then make them run in circles.

Another fun exhibition was the police K-9 corps. I am always amazed at the skill of these dogs. They attack on command and can sniff out DRUGS and stuff. I am curious as to why they do not use PUGS?! I think with our superior intelligence, low-to-the-ground stature, and willingness to please, we'd make wonderful policeDOGS.

There was also DiscDog for the pups who are more athletically inclined. Not for me. I cannot catch a BALL much less a flat DISC coming at me! Finally there was a HALO Dog Training exhibition which highlighted service dog training. I thought that was real cool as well. I encounter a lot of service dogs in my wanderings (with Mommys, of course) and I have the utmost respect for them and what they do. 

There was so much to see and do at the dog show that I just can't write about it once and that's it. You know me - I don't like anything toooooooo wordy. So BEAR with me, there is more to come.

Follow me (tomorrow) to the VENDORS

An Interesting Handout

Look at all the folk and their pups! And there were MORE behind me

This weekend we went to the Niles Dog Show. It isn't your traditional DOG SHOW with pampered show dogs everywhere. No, this was more of a celebration of pets, mostly dog. There were exhibitions by Police Dogs, contests for pooches (more on this later in the week), swimming pools, an agility course for anypuggy to try, a raffle of all kinds of stuff, food trucks and vendor booths.

I love the vendor booths. Not only do I get lots and lots of treats (Mommy kinda throws the D-I-E-T out the window for these events) but I LEARN a lot as well - like vets in the area, specialty services like dog boarding, and new foods from local resellers.
At one booth - Doggone Duo ( I will feature them later this week) I received an interesting flyer called 

The Ten Commandments For Pet Owners

and I thought it worthy if sharing with YOU - thought they are less commandments and more GOOD TO KNOWments, if you get my drift. Here goes:

1. My life is likely to last 10 to 15 years. Any separation from you will be painful.
2. Give me time to understand what you want from me. Do not break my spirit with your temper, though I will always forgive you. You patience will teach me more effectively.
3. Please have me spayed or neutered.
4. Treat me kindly, my beloved friend, for no heart in all the world is more grateful for your kindness than mine. Don't be angry with me for long, and don't lock me up as punishment.I have only you.
5. Speak to me often. Even if I don't understand your words, I understand your voice when it's speaking to me, Your voice is the sweetest sound I hear, as you must know by my enthusiasm whenever I hear your footsteps.
6. Take me in when it's cold and wet. I'm a domestic animal and am no longer accustomed to the bitter elements. I ask for little more than your gentle hands petting me. Keep my bowl filled with water, Feed me good food so that I may stay well, to romp and play and do your bidding. By your side, I stand ready, willing and able to share my life with you, for this is what I live for. I'll never forget how well (or how poorly) you have treated me.
7. Don't hit me. Remember, I have teeth that could easily crush the bones in your hand, but I choose not to bite you.
8. Before you scold me for being lazy or uncooperative, ask yourself if something might be bothering me. Perhaps I am not getting the right food, I've been out in the sun too long, or my heart may be getting weak.
9. Take care of me when I get old. For you will grow old , too.
10. When I am old, or when I no longer enjoy good health, please do not make heroic efforts to keep me going. I am not having fun. Just see to it that  my trusting life s taken gently. And be with me on that difficult journey when it's time to say goodbye. Everything is easier for me when you are there. I will leave this earth knowing with my last breath that my fate was always safest in your hands.

The FUN Continues

The baseball game was so FUN and EXHAUSTING; but that didn't stop us from heading out on a new adventure the next day.

This time it was Cousin E with Molly and Mommy #2 and me. We met our FURiends Zoey and Phoebe (remember them??) at the Niles Community Dog Show. Niles is a really cool community that dates back almost to the Gold Rush. It is nestled in the hills behind Fremont.

This DOG SHOW is not really a show at all but more of a DOG themed faire. There were vendors there handing out all kinds of cool stuff, like the bandana I am wearing here. It was warm so Mommy put water on this bandana to cool me off.

There were food trucks and Adoption vans. It was really varied and interesting. They had some contests for best costume, prettiest, most unique, and so on. We did not enter any contests, though. They had demonstrations of police dogs at work and athletic dogs catching balls and frisbees. There was a water park for dogs with a zillion pools and sprinklers just to cool down. Yes, I partook of that one with GLEE.

Most intriguing, though, was the agility course where dogs of all skill levels (or none) could test their mettle. Molly and I tried it with some success. Molly did the whole thing which surprised all of us. I did part of it but walked off when faced with going through a tunnel.

Here is Molly doing the in/out -

Zoey and Phoebe are old timers at the Show and they lent their wisdom to me. They said the best strategy is to find a cool spot in the shade and just watch the action. They were so right.

So we settled down with a bowl of water (see that cool collapsible bowl? That was from the baseball game! Cool, huh?) and watched the events from the shade of a big tree.

We stayed there for a few hours enjoying the fun and sun/shade. It was a really marvelous outing.

PeeEss: I did NOT get a hot dog nor a beer at the baseball game. I DID get to sample one of the free treats we received.