Summer's Pride

Today was the first gay pride event I've been able to attend in Charlottesville because we've always been in the UK this time of year and manage to miss it. I tagged along with Animal Connections and took Summer because I thought she was the best suited for the event, and I was right.

It was sensory overload for the ears, eyes, and nose of a German Shepherd, or any dog. There were lots of tents, people, dogs, and many other things in Lee Park, a relatively small space. There was lots to sniff and lots of people wanted to pet her. She was overwhelmed by it all, but she handled it very well. She wasn't nervous, she was good with everyone, and even gave lots of kisses to little kids. Some people who wanted to meet her couldn't get her attention because of everything else she was trying to take in all at once, but if they persevered she appreciated the effort and returned the attention.

One woman who "works with dogs everyday" wanted
to argue with me about Summer's age, so I showed her
the teeth. A little gray on the muzzle doesn't mean she's
an old dog. Maya is  younger and even grayer.

We were probably there for three hours or more and that was a lot. It got pretty warm and we were both getting tired, so we left about 2:00 p.m. I saw several people I knew, although it made me realize that we know too few people in the local gay community. It was a nicely staged and well attended event. It was also good practice for the Vegetarian Festival, which is next Saturday.

Summer's first elevator ride

She handled the ride very well too.

The equestrian statue of Robert E. Lee in the middle of the park