Day 3250

I spent my day taking pictures of kids holding snakes. This was a big animal rescue event with all types of puppies, kittens, ferrets, and birds, but the kids seemed fascinated with the snakes. The smaller the children, the less fear they had of snakes. Often, their parents wouldn't go near the reptiles, but the kids loved them. I heard a lot of "Mommy, can I have a snake?" during the afternoon. I didn't hear one parent say yes.

A lot has changed in the last five years. There wasn't a lot of interest in my little photo booth, but everyone wanted to take selfies with the animals. People don't need a photographer anymore. They make their own movies and share their own pictures. Most of the children had their own phones. Even small children were walking around with iPhones. I predict that there will be a lot of pictures of people holding snakes on Instagram today.

I'm not a big fan of snakes myself. I hate seeing them in the park because I can never remember which ones are poisonous. I pretty much quit using my kayak when I saw a big water moccasin swimming along side me one day. I always worry that one of the dogs will be bitten by a snake. Often dogs don't have the sense to keep away from them.

I'm glad I don't do many photo events anymore. They are too tiring. I still do a few Santa Paws events during the Christmas season, but not nearly as many as I used to do. I think we only have two Christmas events scheduled this year. Today's event was meant to educate kids about animals. I'm not sure what the kids learned, but I learned a few things. The big snakes eat rabbits. The snake handler buys frozen rabbit meat which he cooks as needed. He feeds his large snakes a rabbit every two weeks. Some of these snakes weigh as much as 75 pounds.

I was lucky today. I didn't have to bring my lights and backdrops. All I had to do was show up with a camera. I think I got some cute pictures. I'm not sure what the organizers plan to do with these pictures but they seemed pleased with the results.

Dash pooped in the bed again last night. I guess this is the new normal. I with I could use puppy training pads with him like I did with Dot, but I'm not sure they'd do any good. Dash is still fairly mobile. Whenever I wake up, he's in a different place than he was when I went to sleep. Doggie diapers won't work at all. Dash's rear legs are so weak that diapers would essentially cripple him. This is still a work in progress. I'm sure we'll figure out something.

I didn't have time to get groceries today, so I guess I'll do that tomorrow. I'm not sure that I'll go to the gym. If it's as warm as it was today, it would be a good time to mow the grass one last time. It would also be a good time to take a long nap. We'll see how I feel in the morning

Puppies are today's Dalmatians of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 1426

Pet Fair occupied most of our day today. Janet and I went and set up the Dalmatian Rescue booth after we finished breakfast this morning. When everything was ready, we came back and got our Dalmatians. We were joined at the event by our friend Turtle The Painting Pit Bull, who creates original paintings with her paw. Dot and Dash aren't nearly this creative, but they put on a good show begging for dog treats. The kids seemed to enjoy our "Make a Dalmatian" game today. They completely ignored the realistic looking adhesive spots I cut out last night though, preferring novelty spots made to look like hearts or dog bones. We has a steady group of people come to our booth throughout the afternoon, but we certainly weren't the most popular attraction. What kids really wanted to do was hold a snake. There was a reptile education booth where kids could hold a large snake if they wanted. The kids were lined up five deep to hold these snakes and get their picture taken. The snakes were more popular than a nearby booth filled with cute puppies, which tells you something about the next generation in this country.

Dot and Dash were remarkably good, considering how long the event was. They were gentle and friendly when kids came up to pet them and they didn't even bark excessively. At some point during the afternoon, we has a psychic at a nearby booth read the dogs paws. I'm as skeptical as the next guy about psychics and palm readers, but this lady nailed it with the dogs personalities. She knew nothing in advance about Dot and Dash, but was able to describe their somewhat unique personalities with great accuracy.

By the time we packed up our stuff and took the dogs home again, the day was almost over. I barely had time to take Dot and Dash on a short walk before the sun set on the Western horizon. When we returned to the house, there were burgers for dinner. Cheeseburgers are always a good way to end a busy day. This type of meal isn't on my diet anymore, but what the hell. I worked hard today and deserved a treat.

Tomorrow, it's back to work again. I have a combination medical exam and website meeting scheduled with one of my physician clients. I have a feeling that I'll find out a lot more about the health of the website than about my own health.

Puppies are today's Dalmatians of the Day

Watch of the Day