Clay and I took the Shar-pei boys, Galen and Porkins, to an adoption event in Charlottesville today. It was their first public outing and it went well. We learned a lot.
Porkins loved it right from the start. He was Mr. Personality, very engaged, happy to meet everyone, human and canine. He gave lots of kisses and enjoyed having his face smooshed by everyone who wanted to touch him. It was his first time on a leash and he did pretty well, at least compared to Galen.
Galen was a bit freaked out by the crowd and it caused his legs to malfunction. I had to carry him everywhere and hold him constantly. He would not walk. Not a single step. He was friendly enough but he preferred to hunker down and try to hide from it all. I'm the same way at parties so I understood that part, but the refusal to walk, even when we were leaving, got on my nerves.
We stayed for about an hour and a half; the boys met many people including one person who seemed very interested and I hope she will put in an application. I was tired, hungry, and thirsty so we went up to Patch for lunch and a beer, but first spent some time in the dog park with the boys. There were other people there and two other dogs. It wasn't long before Galen came to life and enjoyed himself as much as Porkins. They ran and played, really enjoying the large outdoor space and experienced tall grass for the first time. They experienced other dogs for the first time too and ran and played with Gus and Winnie.
But we had come for food and drink so eventually we went inside. Galen's legs failed him as soon as we left the dog park and I was once again forced to carry him. We ate and had just one beer and then came home. Galen climbed out of the van on his own, without a leash, and proceeded to run around the yard and even out to the pasture, while Porkins followed me back to their pen with the food I had for them. I had to go out to the pasture and track down Galen who had disappeared into a grove of trees. Then suddenly his legs mysteriously failed him once again.
I finally got both boys fed and back into their shed for an air conditioned nap, which I was wanting myself. Lessons learned: (1) Porkins likes to party; (2) Galen likes people in small doses; and (3) five month old Shar-pei pups are getting close to being too heavy to be carried.
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