Dumdadum - that time of year again.
Last year's Santa Paws visit was a bit hurried to say the least. And, while Bella felt quite important to be at the mall, she was not happy to see the beast man. It is a bit to ask of our dogs - to sit next to a huge creature that looks like prey but smells like person. We are lucky they they love us so much.
This year, the humane society had pictures with Santa Paws. They do this every year. The proceeds from the mall event went to the Humane Society.
Last year Bella was kind of scooped up and dropped into the big man's lap. This year, my goal was to have a calmer visit with Santa.
We went later in the afternoon so i had time to prep her. All that day she was handed treats accompanied by the words "Santa Paws!" said in a happy excited higher pitched voice. We played tug to the mantra of "Santa Paws! Santa Paws! Going to see Santa Paws," followed by more treats. Ear massages, belly rubs, butt scratches were all given while talking about visiting the big guy.
And then the time came. As i said, we went later in the day. In fact ours was the last visit. So, that helped to keep her nervousness down a bit. The visit was better than in the past. As we entered the room she got treats. Santa Paws gave her treats. She jumped up next to him when asked, and stoically sat until told she could leave. As you can see, she also let Santa cozy up a bit. So..... all in all, not bad.
The biggest drama was the wait. There were cages holding cats on either side of the line. This caused quite a bit of tail tucking and bolting for the exit until i took a seat on a bench and had her sit between my feet. I can only assume that if dogs made horror movies, at least one would entail a room filled with cats in some way.
Whether Bella is just mellowing or whether my word association exercise worked, i don't really know. Next year i will remember to incorporate the words "cages of cats" into the treating, & will see what happens then.
Happy Howlidays everyone!
P.S - Remember that the United States Humane Society has absolutely nothing to do with your local humane society. Nor do they receive money from the USHS. If you want to donate, please donate locally.
Peace
