Bindi

I knew I would be walking an adoptable dog in the Bend Pet Parade but it was not until I arrived and started toward the Humane Society tent through the parade staging area crowded with many, many dogs, that the reality started to dawn. I was about to bring a dog who was not surrounded by comfortable family members, and who had recently been transported from her kennel via car to me, a stranger, into this chaos. I got to the Shelter's tent, signed in, and waited for my walking buddy to arrive. As I read Bindi's profile, she certainly looked promising; a three year old Heeler/Pit Bull mix who not only could do all the standard obedience drills, but also liked other dogs and cats. In addition she has the really cute behavior of mimicking you if you get down on the floor with her. I crossed my fingers as I looked up and saw her being led across the street toward the tent by the shelter director - showtime! We took a few minutes to get acquainted, get her suited up into her "Adopt Me" jacket and, with another volunteer/dog team, headed for the pandemonium across the street.

Bindi is a medium size dog at about 40 pounds but we clustered in the Big Dog waiting area so the shelter dogs could be near each other in the parade. We were crammed so tightly with dogs and their owners that you could not turn around without bumping into someone. We waited in this area for at least a half hour. I knew Bindi was excited because when I gave her a command eg sit, she would respond but would not a accept treat; she was too excited to eat. When dogs many times her size approached her sniffing, licking, etc. from all directions, she remained perfectly calm, positive, and friendly but completely in control of each interaction. If any of you have ever watched Cesar Milan the Dog Whisperer (TV show), one of his "perfect dogs" will often take this role when he is working to correct someone's problem dog. With each passing minute I was more impressed with Bindi, as were many of the other dog owners we were crushed in with!

Finally the Parade began. I decided that in order to give Bindi maximum exposure we would walk the outside edge so that I could see how she'd interact with the hundreds of well wishers along the route, some of them canine. Bindi loved prancing along welcoming the oohs, ahs, and pets from the spectators. About 3/4 of the way through, she seemed to be getting thirsty so she paid a lot of attention to those with water bottles and coffee cups! I think she enjoyed every minute and so did I. Great day, even greater dog.