The Parade Begins

The day is finally here. Our walkers, fosters, dogs and supporters all convene at Pine Tree Circle parking lot early Memorial Day morning for parade start at nine am. I feel slightly numb and out of my body as you do when you have no idea what you are doing and could very well fall flat on your face. I am wearing a long, vintage-style white dress, a big floppy hat (in lieu of a bonnet), and a pair of sturdy, lace-up brown leather boots. There are not too many occasions that I am able to appease my recycled soul and dress up like a pioneer women, but I decide this is one of them. Everyone else shows up excited and ready in appropriate attire: jeans, t-shirt, sunglasses and slathered in sunblock.

The floats are lining up, music is playing and there is a decidedly festive atmosphere. Drew, my business partner, has done a great job of making a beautiful banner that will introduce us and our mission as we march along the route. We have volunteers to hold the banner and the plan is for Drew to drive his Land Rover Defender out in front of us with lots of water and be ready to offer a ride or provide assistance should anyone become too tired or hot, four legged or two.

The Defender of Love

The parade pups all seem to be picking up on the energy of excitement and celebration. They all have big smiles and wagging tails, all except Kinzie, that is, my beautiful Rottie. She has spent the most time at the shelter of all the dogs and she is clearly dealing with some degree of shelter shock. I look her over and notice her spay incision looks a little raw as if she has been licking it. I can see she is stressed and showing signs of anxiety. It is possible she might be feeling pain from her recent surgery. She growls and lunges aggressively at the smaller dogs as they try to get into her space to say hello. Drew is worried, what if she bites someone; the liability would be enormous. Somehow, I stay uncharacteristically calm. I still feel strangely disconnected from my physical self and I have an overwhelming sense that all will be well. I have asked my friend Melissa to walk Kinzie in the parade as she has two Rottweilers of her own at home and knows how to handle them. I warn her gently to keep Kinzie at a safe distance from the other dogs and small kids, just in case.

Knut Knut's new family.

The pups are attracting a lot of attention, before we even get out of the parking lot three of them are spoken for! Theo, the Cairn Terrier, is claimed by my sister's friend, Emma, and her family. They had taken over the fostering from my sister one day in and naturally her two kids had fallen madly in love with the little man. Her children are there at the start of the parade to plead with me not to give away their new pal along the route. Another Topanga family and fellow parade participants rush forward to be first on the list for Knut Knut, and Nigel's foster, which happens to be Drew's cousin, Emily, wants to keep him also. Three down and we haven't even started, just three more to go! I feel, as we all line up and the parade starts its slow heave forward, that, whatever happens, it is already a success.