Sunday is Your Last Chance to Attend This Year's World of Pets

Sunday is Your Last Chance to Attend This Year’s World of Pets

Saturday was a blast with funny agility dogs, kids wearing boa constrictors, and discovering Himalayan Dog Chews! I attended a very enlightening talk on dog food and tomorrow, Sunday, veterinarian Judy Morgan will talk about cat food.

A is for Agility

Agility is the dog sport of obstacles: high jumps and broad jumps and tunnels and racing the clock in front of loads of people. Some dogs are simply too funny – they all know how to do an agility course but each course is different with the obstacles in a different order and location.

And, of course, when you are performing in front of numerous dogs you don’t know and loads of friendly folks (and kids!) and smells of food and cheers from the dock diving dogs, it can be overwhelming. So much so that a dog can easily ignore his person’s directions and get mixed up and go through the tunnel backwards and skip a weave pole and go around a jump instead of over it or stop at the top of the teeter-totter and simply forget what to do next.

Sometimes a dog just wants to go through the tunnel twice so he does, while the audience holds its breath. Sometimes a dog just has to stop and sniff where another dog has been. And sometimes a dog just has to stop and scratch and then look at the audience and wander over. All things the audience just loves and the handler gets embarrassed about, making for a very entertaining few minutes!

B is for Boa and Bowls

Kids could wear a boa constrictor, a live one! I saw one boy’s mother taking his photo but when the kid had returned the boa and approached his mom again, she said, “Don’t you dare touch me! You know I don’t like snakes!” So, of course, he had to chase her around until he wrapped both arms around his beloved mother! That was one hug she could have done without!

New dog food bowls this year were for brachycephalic dogs like Pugs. Called Loving Bowls, they have an inner shelf so the dog’s nose can push the kibble up without making a mess on the floor. Available through Critter Cozy in the US and at the expo.

C is for Chew

Himalayan Dog Chews are the neatest new thing for canines. Made from yak milk in the Himalayas and turned into dog chews in Mukilteo (love that town’s name!), Washington, these are very versatile treats. Like rawhides, they should be taken away from your dog when chewed down to swallowing size but then you can zap them in the microwave and turn them into puffed treats. Really! And really amazing! Here is the microwave tutorial!

The Himalayan Dog Chew company is also selling tree roots! Called Ruff Roots (what else?), they come in four sizes: seedling, sprout, stump and stalk. For my lab and golden, I got a couple of stalks. Can’t wait to surprise the dogs and see what they do to the roots.

Aw, Rats!

I saw the cutest little rats at the World of Pets. Really! But if you missed the World of Pets in Baltimore this year, drive on down to Hampton Roads, VA, over Valentine’s Day!

Details (Baltimore)

Admission: $10 for adults, free parking, $5 for kids 5-12

Hours on Sunday: 10-6 pm