Ivan does the Woodford Wag

In order to get your therapy dog certified as such, you have to do a certain number of hours of therapy work at lots of different places.  As previously mentioned, Ivan has a regular gig at Lord's Legacy Life Ministries and we pick up reading time with kids whenever we can.  But sometimes you need a change of pace, and the notice we got about the Woodford Wag sounded like fun.

The Wag is a fundraiser for the Woodford Humane Society, an organization I support, since Ivan's brother Texas and sister Lucy were adopted there several years ago.  You can run the 5K or you can do the dog walk.  I had not had an opportunity to do this race before, so I had no idea what to expect.

The race is an early morning one, and they suggest that the dog walkers get there early for a "meet and greet" (which is basically a butt sniffing extravaganza.  I have never seen so many dogs in one place EVER.

photos courtesy of Jim Wilkins, Alison Salyer, Marty Vaughn and Beth Oleson

Ivan suited up in his official therapy dog vest and proceeded to meet and greet every dog between the parking lot and the start line.  He was in heaven.  There were big dogs and little dogs and every size and shape in between.  There was even a poodle with pink and purple pom poms.  Ivan was very well behaved and even listened and followed most of my commands.

I miscalculated a bit when I angled for the front of the pack.  When the start gun went off, most of the people around and behind us started running.  Ivan thought we were being stampeded and started to scoot around but I just kept walking and eventually the pack thinned.

photos courtesy of Jim Wilkins, Alison Salyer, Marty Vaughn and Beth Oleson

We finished well in the middle of the pack and got ourselves some water and some doggy frozen yogurt, which Ivan like very much.  Then the real festivities began.  There was a dog show where the Humane Society showed off their adoptable canines.  Then came Ivan's moment, the Woodford Wag logt look-a-like contest.  Ivan got up on that stage like he was born to it.  He was up against some real competition, including one beagle that really looked like that mascot. Luckily, the award is determined by audience applause.  Ivan can work a crowd better than any other pup I know.  We won the second round and Ivan pranced off the stage.

I would recommend the Wag as a fun, family oriented race with lots of opportunities for dog socialization.

photos courtesy of Jim Wilkins, Alison Salyer, Marty Vaughn and Beth Oleson