Strutt With Your Mutt 2010

One of the fun activities at the Strutt was the Dog and Owner Lookalike contest.

I don’t have my own mutt, but I was tempted to borrow Loki to participate in Wayside Waif’s 20th annual Strutt With Your Mutt on Sept. 25, 2010, in the Brookside area of Kansas City, Missouri.  Loki would have been so excited to strut with so many dogs, as many as I’ve ever seen in one place at one time.  There were dogs practically as large as ponies, and small dogs that could fit in a purse. There were dogs in every size and shape and color.  The dogs were very well-behaved, amazing since there were so many people and dogs in close contact.  They even knew their manners when food was served.

Dachshunds of every color!

More than 1,200 people participated and $100,000 was raised, making this year’s Strutt the most successful ever, according to Wayside Waifs. Wayside Waifs is a no-kill animal shelter in Kansas City, Missouri, and places 6,000 cats and dogs every year into “furr-ever” homes. In addition to the strutters, more than forty volunteers helped out, and four corporations offered their help, too.  Click here to learn more about Wayside Waifs. You can also “friend” Wayside Waifs on Facebook for a lot more information and updates and check out Wayside Waifs on YouTube and Twitter. Check out my previous posts on Wayside Waifs through my blog search engine.

Instead of Loki, I brought a camera to capture the strutters as well contests featuring the dog and owner lookalikes, costumes, tricks and best canine kisser.  There is also an ongoing “hot tails” contest, Wayside Waifs’ second annual virtual fund-raiser. Vote for your favorite “hot tail” by clicking on Wayside Waifs Hot Tails contest. Voting ends on Oct. 21, so don’t just sit there on your tail. Get out your credit card to decide who’s wagging the hottest tail in town!

I’m not playing favorites, but here’s a blog featuring one of the candidates. Banana Abby. (Ok, maybe I have a favorite, although they are all adorable and deserve to win. I voted for a dog whose name rhymes with Not Rockets. Remember, Wayside Waifs gets all of the money to take care of those homeless dogs and cats.) Don’t click on the links until you have looked at the whole blog, because the links don’t open in new windows.

Annie, the Grand Marshal, starts off the Strutt.

Strutters visited the Wayside Waifs mobile adoption van.

Chris Cakes Pancakes attracted a lot of business. Proceeds went to Wayside Waifs.

Owners and candidates for "Hot Tails" line up on stage. How can you not vote for every one of these hot dogs -- and one cat.

This little dog doesn't have his upper paws, but he knows how to do the macarena.

Strutters relaxing in front of the stage.

Best costume candidates.

Breakfast al fresco.

These puppies awaited adoption at the Wayside Waifs mobile adoption van at the Strutt With Your Mutt. At least two puppies found their "furr-ever" homes that morning.

More than 1,200 people participated in the 20th annual Wayside Waifs Strutt With Your Mutt.

Lots of water for dogs and people.

Performing tricks for the crowd.

Strutting in style.

The Kansas City Royals baseball mascot Slugger has a treat for a very attentive dog friend.

Competitors in the owner and dog lookalike contest.

Strutters at the end of a very successful Strutt With Your Mutt event.

A dog hitches a ride for the macarena.

Wayside Waifs president Cynthia L. Smith does the twist with her dog.

It’s a Diabolical Plot!

Loki realizes that golf balls don't taste as good as they look.

I woke up on Sunday with a bed full of golf balls.  How did this happen?  A pile of rawhide chews I can understand, because Loki the dog hides them everywhere, but how did Loki get these golf balls?  Then I saw Bones the cat slink by.  Aha! 

Bones was briefly top pet -- until Loki joined the household. Bones is plotting ways to return to the top by taking advantage of Loki's love of chewing.

The golf balls are strays from the nearby golf course (some of the balls got pretty darned close to the house!) and sit in a corner on the counter, awaiting use as practice balls.  Bones sits on the counter, pushing the balls over the edge, one by one.  Bones thinks he has finally found a way to get rid of this usurper animal, who is staying with us for a while.  Bones knows we may forgive Loki for chewing up toothbrushes, wood trim and even priceless family photographs, but golf balls?  Never! (Sorry, Bones!  Loki is forgiven again…But, Bones,  I promise you extra head rubs. )

Puppies Like to Chew

It didn't take a forensic scientist to figure out who chewed these items.

We’ve had cats for almost twenty years, but that experience hasn’t prepared us for a puppy!   The adorable Loki is visiting for a while, and she has definitely made her presence known.

Loki, the chewmeister, trying to look nonchalant after I find the results of her latest chew fest.

Every day I discover some pile of torn rubbish on the floor that was formerly one of my very valuable mementoes. It started very innocently with catalogs and sections of the newspaper, but then Loki discovered she had a taste for vintage photographs. Yes, I should have locked up these items. We’re in the middle of some minor renovations, and desk contents and other items are in boxes. Loki knows how to knock them over or root into them to select the delectable fading views of my ancestors, bypassing the modern photographs.  Other items that have met her teeth are a wedding invitation, address book and a roll of masking tape, all stolen from my desktop. She found a loose piece of quarter-round woodwork trim in the kitchen and chewed both ends.  She has pruned all of the indoor plants.  Thankfully, we were able to move the plants outside before they were completely chewed to the roots.

An invitation and a piece of woodwork trim both fell prey to Loki's incessant need to chew!

But she’s so cute. Who can resist her when she jumps on the sofa, places her head on your lap and looks up at you, adoringly?