Cherry Blossom Festival

Stella and I went to the Cherry Blossom Festival yesterday. We got there a little bit late, parked about a mile away and walked to the courthouse. It would've been really pretty if the weather had cooperated. This year, they decided to change the angle a little bit and make it a fundraiser in support of Japanese victims of the tsunami. There was a two and half mile walk along the river so we went ahead and walked that too. It was interesting enough that we'll go back do it again when the weather warms up.

Stella met a big gang of kids while we were there. They were all very dog friendly. and proceeded to put some serious big love on her body. They knew all the right spots to scratch and for once, she seemed to actually like it. If she hadn't made such an effort to drag me under the food booths, it would have been a perfect day. I still haven't figured out how to turn her attention back to me when that happens; without the aid of a stun gun.

The kitten report: The kittens seem to be doing great. If anyone ever tells you that kittens double their body weight in the first week, believe it. It's absolutely amazing. Gypsy (the black and orange) just opened her eyes today and I'm betting the others will follow suit tomorrow. I have a couple of pictures that were shot today but they're still in the camera. Soon.

Pool Party

So, the baby pool was a huge hit. I'm not sure the pictures convey it but Stella had a lot of fun playing in it and I only had to remove her teeth from the puffy, blow-up rings twice. I guess it was an idle threat. We all know if she'd really been biting it that thing would be flat right now.
A few weeks back wewent to an event called Dog Day in May and a guy from one of the local big pet stores gave us a bag of party favors. He put five frisbees in it, which I (blindly) thought was excessive. I flew the first one - the very first one - and by the time Stella got back to me with it, it was destroyed. There were like nine holes in it and it was permanently warped; a goner. Okay Stella. We get it. She needs industrial toys.

Moving on to an entirely different topic, I continue to be amazed at the number of kids who approach us and ask me if they can pet Stella. Granted, she does get out a lot and some kids don't have the chance to interact with dogs but I don't think I'd let my own child run up to a strange dog. A few posts back I wrote that she's still spooked by kids but now I'm thinking it might just be certain kids and the way they approach her. If I were to be honest, I'd have to say that my response usually feeds it. Just minutes after one of her latest kid-friendly bursts of crazy energy - we stopped at one of the neighbor's houses where there's a three year old girl with two Boxers. This child sat on the deck and ignored Stella which I'm happy to report took Stella completely by surprise. It was the exact right thing to do. I was thirty feet away.

So, Friday night when a seven(ish) year old girl at the ballpark, ran over and asked me if she could pet my dog I agreed but asked her to stand still and only look at me for a minute. She got this serious expression on her face and asked (more specifically now) if Stella would bite her.

"No, never" I said, but she might jump at you because she's a dingy girl who gets excited if you're excited. This was language that apparently she could understand. A minute later she was petting Stella and reciting the same speech to her three siblings all of whom were standing around now petting her and telling me about their dog - Leo. When we walked away Stella smiled at me and had a little skip in her step that wasn't there before.