There were a lot of sheepies around the first night at "Sheepie-de-Mayo" held at a park not far from our hotel. We had Mexican food, an auction of "sheepie" stuff, and a lot of visiting. We kept Charlie on a leash...we just weren't sure how he'd react to a lot of dogs that looked like him!
On Saturday, we went to the Boathouse located on a lake inside the park built for the first World's Fair held in the late 1800s or early 1900s. I can't find the pictures of it but to say the least, Charlie wasn't a fan of boats or water! Our ride didn't last long.
After the boat rides, we gathered in a general area where everyone got their sheepie all decked out (in ridiculous costumes) for the "Sheepie Parade" through the park. Again, it was so much fun to see lots and lots of sheepies!
After the parade, we went to lunch in an area of St. Louis that is VERY pet/dog friendly! At the restraunt, we ate at tables on the front sidewalk and they brought each of the dogs a bucket of ice water. Charlie drank out of a Coors Light bucket for the first time...it was pretty funny!
Then, we went to a dog park. Those are so cool!!!!! I really wish they had one around here. It was edged by the freeway running to downtown St. Louis. People would stop at the light and holler at us asking what kind of dogs we had.
While we were here, we got brave and let Charlie off his leash. He was really timid at first; some of the sheepies were really grumpy and would snap at any dog that came into their space. It reminded me of taking the kids to a park when they were little and they really wanted to join in with the kids that were already playing there but didn't quite know how to go about it. He had this really timid look on his face and would keep looking at us as if asking, "Is it OK for me to go with them?" Then, he'd venture off by himself looking around the park and checking things out. Finally, he found a few new friends and had a blast! There's nothing funnier to watch than a bunch of sheepies running at full bore chasing each other with the wind blowing through their fur. So much fun!!!!!
On Sunday, we went over to Purina Farms and played around there. There were several areas: one area where we could "corral" the dogs and let them play, another area that was covered for the humans to relax and sheepies to rest, then another area for the agility competition. The whole thing was surrounded by the most beautiful green fields!
As soon as we got there, we put Charlie in the "corral" so he could relax and go potty, if necessary. We left him in there for a few minutes and wouldn't ya know it? He found a water trough! Naturally, he couldn't just get a drink from the outside of it...he had to "test" the water by getting into it! Oh Charlie!!!!!
After lunch and the competition, they let the "sub-novices" try out the agility course. The pros walked us through it step by step and talked to me about what each part was and how to encourage Charlie to do it. The first part was pretty easy for him; the "pyramid" (I don't know what it's technically called) is usually MUCH taller but they lowered it for the newbies.
Next was the "obstacle course" or whatever they call it. They're poles sticking up that the sheepies weave in between. For the newbies, they linked them together with wire which herded the dog through them. Charlie threw a FIT going into them. Judi had to push him and I had to go all the way into them to pull him through. We made him go through them twice just to get him used to it. He was really grateful when we were done. Afterward, Maddi realized why he wouldn't do it on his own: the wire reminded him of the fence we have around the flower beds at home! He didn't want to get zapped!!!!! Poor Charlie!!!!!
The next part was easy! Judi said he was surprisingly good at the balancing beam because he's so big! YAY!!!!
We were encouraged to attend Sheepiepalooza by a friend of mine that I met through the Old English Sheepdog forum, Stephanie Jones. She's the one who sent me the stuffed animal last summer for my classroom. We were so excited to finally meet and get our sheepies together. Here's Charlie and his new buddy, Winston.
Bob, Michelle, Maddi, Charlie, Sammi, Winston, Stephanie, and Stephen
We had a GREAT time! It was fun to be with others who love Sheepies and to see how Charlie's behavior is part of the breed...not just a ding-dong doggie. More than anything else, it was fun to spend time together and make memories!!
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