A Day of Peace, Love and Canine Companions

I finally have a minute to share my experience at the Balboa Barks Event this year. For those of you who are new to the scene - Balboa Barks used to be called Woofstock. Back in November Canine Companions for Independence contacted us to edit the old logo after they were forced to change the event name. We stuck with the same concept and simply added the new name. We didn't want to lose any momentum that the graphic might have gained in years past.

Well, I think this was a good call because the 2011 event had an amazing turn out. It raised over $30K for CCI this year. I have been attending this event for about 5 years now and it just keeps growing each year. Bigger and better vendors are showing up and that means lots of great shopping and treats for humans and pets, not to mention the added activities and demonstrations. My husband and I took our two dogs Pamela and Quigley to the event. We were there in the afternoon after the gloom had burned off and gave way to a beautiful spring day.

Activities Galore and Shopping, Oh My!

It seemed to me there were more fun dog things to do this year. Dogs actually got to try their paw at the Ballistic Racer hurdle course. Not sure if that's the right term - it was a narrow straight-away with a series of jumps, a ball launcher at one end and the dog "coach" at the other end. Quigley jumped all the jumps but had no idea he was supposed to be retrieving and delivering the ball at each end. He seemed to just enjoy the thrill of the jump-and-run. You can see photos of Quigley on our facebook page: click here.

Then there was the shopping... I love the shopping. I was on a mission this year to find a light-weight, durable, and manly cover up for Quigley because he actually gets cold in the winter and won't go out to take care of business as he should. The challenge is finding a good fit for his bulldog figure. So you can imagine how thrilled I was when I came across CanineCozies. Serena was a great help, she didn't have a pattern that I wanted in the right size for Quig, but offered to make one for him! I just have to get her his measurements... note to self: send measurements right after I finish this blog.

I also wanted to replenish my supply of South Bark's Blueberry Facial. I not only purchased more of the shampoo, but added a conditioner and cologne to the bag... I love the cologne. I used it on both dogs last week when they were a few days past their dog wash expiration date and was thrilled. Instead of getting stinky dog comments I got "Hey, it smells like blueberry in here". Yes!

Good "tr"Eats For Everyone

Of course no pet festival is worth a lick if it doesn't supply both animal and companion with great food to sample. I think I had the largest burrito ever made along with the second largest pink lemonade. I say second largest because I didn't get the large! But the real treat was the Woofles... not for humans, but great for dogs. Hot off the waffle iron and ready to try. Both Pamela and Quigley loved their samples and begged for more. I spent quite a bit of time chatting with Janene Bray, the owner. This is a pet product to add to may Watch List. My little marketing oriented brain was in heaven for days imagining all the wonderful possibilities with that tasty product.

So, there you have it. A great day for the Baileys and CCI. So thrilled to be a part of the great things CCI is doing and can't wait to see what's in store for next year's event.