Stella was not real excited about getting dressed up for the party.
But she went, and she handled herself admirably amid the bustle and chaos of dozens of volunteers and dogs and prospective adopters all trying to find their perfect matches. Most of the dogs were newly arrived just that morning from a transport that had brought them up from North Carolina, and while some of the puppies had adjusted well enough to play around in their X-pen, a few of the dogs still looked slightly shellshocked. Others were overwhelmed by the noise and crowding.
Stella was too, at first, but by the end she was sprawled out and totally relaxed. She was able to do her more familiar tricks on cue, too. (Down was a little harder for her, and I had to revert to lure prompts, but given how many dogs are reluctant about getting into a vulnerable Down position in a strange area, that's understandable.) I was impressed. That's a huge step for her.
(These pictures aren't very good, partly because I'm a terrible photographer anyway and partly because I felt like I had to snap them on the sly, as it felt a little rude to just go taking pictures of people without asking their permission. But it maybe conveys a tiny amount of the bustle -- it was actually a lot more crowded than this looks!)
Several people were interested in Stella, but she didn't go home that day.
So she came home and played dysfunctional Fetch with Pongu, who as usual capitalized on whatever weakness he could find in the Temporary Dog's game to make sure that he, and only he, got all the treats.
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