Linda reports ...      Posted by Bill

Thursday, April 7: 4 p.m. ­ 7 p.m.

Linda's Thursday Report from The Dallas Auto Show ...

The anxiety and excitement of participating in the Dallas Auto Show had been mounting for about a week. This is such a large event and even though we have attended several large events and have more scheduled for this year, none (I'm sure) will surpass the Dallas Auto Show! The expected attendance of this grand affair is around 400,000. The Straydog event staff, Tom, David and myself began planning as soon as we found out we were awarded a free exhibit booth, which to our good fortune turned out to be two combined booths.

The show is scheduled for four days, and this requires a lot of planning as we are 90 miles from the Straydog shelter, which means we just can't run home and grab something we forgot.

Our caravan arrived at the Dallas Convention Center around noon on Thursday. Of course we had to unload all of our "stuff" from the street, which undoubtedly made us resemble the Beverly Hillbilly's arriving in the big city. There are crates for dogs, pillows for dogs, boxes of newsletters, boxes of info cards, chairs, and promotional pieces and much more. And of course we could never leave home without at least one or two star doggies.

It seems we encounter some type of a chuckle every time we set up. Today's came when halfway from the car to the freight elevator our prized back saving 2-wheel dolly had a blowout. Of course this would happen on our first load, resulting in the laborious carrying of one box at a time about 100 yards from the street to the freight elevator. Then onto the elevator and off the elevator and another 200-300 yards to our exhibit space. I am really good at holding the dogs while the guys perform this work!

Romo, a beautiful Black Lab mix adopted a few years ago from Straydog by David Rentz was our star today. I can only imagine that Romo was laughing at us as he sat in the van and watched as we made what seemed like a hundred trips to and from the van.

I am not sure how we are so fortunate to get these wonderful booth locations, but once again we scored a hit! Our booth space is a double (plus some) right at the main entrance to the Auto Show. Almost everyone must walk by, allowing us to share the history of Straydog with them. We began setting up immediately and by 3:00 we had our "dog house" in order. While the show officially did not begin until 4:00, the line of those waiting for the doors to open began almost simultaneous to us finishing setup. And folks, we're not talking a short line here, we are talking many people!

Romo is such a mild and well-disciplined dog. The crowd never upset him and he sat at attention as passersby couldn't help but steal the opportunity to pet him. I think he probably relished all of the attention.

Because of the layout of the Dallas Convention Center, Romo decided he much preferred the elevator over the escalator, even though he received a lot of attention riding up the escalator.

Friday the doors open at 10 AM and we will be there until close at 10 PM. If you want to see the luxury vehicles and visit with Straydog, we will have Harry (our beautiful golden retriever who was dumped on the Straydog property about two weeks ago) and Maria (a black lab who is as gentle as her name). We occupy booths C-2 and C-3 located off the main entrance next the WBAP radio station booth. Please visit us!

Friday, April 8: 10 a.m. ­ 10 p.m.

Linda's Friday Report from The Dallas Auto Show ...
 
After an exhausting and yet exhilarating Thursday, Tom and I arrived at the Dallas Convention Center on Friday morning about 9:15. The show was scheduled to open at 10:00. Our thoughts were that, upon arrival, we would spruce up our booth and head for a cup of hot coffee (at $2.50 a cup), but we were mistaken. The lines had already formed and attendees were waiting to go into the Auto Show. Conveniently our booth was located right at the entry/exit door and had become the seating area for some of those waiting. When we arrived, people were sitting inside our booth reading the newsletters, which we left on the table from the night before! This same scenario happened each day of the show.
 
Arriving promptly at 10 a.m., after his drive from the shelter, David created quite a commotion as he came up the hallway with Harry, our wonderful, gentle and mild-natured Golden Retriever (who was dropped on the property recently) along with Maria, a beautiful black Lab, who has legs that a model would kill for. There were so many people gathering that Tom had to meet David to help him get the doggies to their spots. Within minutes the crowd was literally lined up waiting to pet Harry and Maria.

I'm not sure what happened after that time on Friday, but we had to call in additional support and Jane Blast, who recently adopted one of our puppy rescues, Baby Boomer, came to our rescue. Jane helped us Friday afternoon and our always-supportive helper and friend, Todd Carr, showed up as well. During one of the few moments of "crowd control," Jane shared that Baby Boomer had doubled in weight and he was attending training classes and he's scheduled for agility classes. Jane said she had forgotten how much responsibility was associated with raising a puppy and how it parallels to raising a child!

 At one point during the day, one of our neighbor vendors' asked us if we could put Harry Potter up, as no one was paying attention to his booth -- everyone's eyes were on the Golden Retriever. He said that they were even talking about Harry at the eating area. Of course he was only kidding about putting Harry away. We have learned to be very nice to our neighbors at these shows, as you never know when one of the doggies will locate a treat or nose their way into someone else's business.
 
Everyone loved on Harry, he was such a showstopper and I think poor Maria was feeling left out. But Harry, being the newcomer to the organization, didn't know what the protocol was. Like most Golden Retrievers and other breeds, once you begin petting Harry Potter, he leans into your leg. That was fine, but on the shiny marble floors at the DCC, Harry would just slide down the leg of someone petting him and take a nap right there, laying on top of the guest's feet. I assume the soothing rubbing and coolness of the floor must have felt nice to him.
 
As always, when Maria is on stage, she gets everyone's attention. She very seldom ever barks and she maintains a regal composure. She seemed to be looking at Harry Potter and saying, "See, I too am worthy of all of this attention. I am beautiful and I have show-quality legs. Bet you can't say that!"

 
On Friday, the Dallas Animal Control set up their booth down the hallway from us. I stole a few minutes to visit with this group of animal officers. How sad it is that they have 600-700 dogs a week. Yes, I said a week, surrendered to their facility. While I am not a proponent of Adoption on Site, this group does afford the dog a chance at a better life than the alternative. What do people not understand about spay and neuter? As we left at 10 p.m. Friday, I couldn't help but smile, when I heard that five of their dogs had been adopted. It really seems like a small number compared to the number taken in ­ but a saved life is a saved life.
 
While setting up on Thursday, we met Jerry. He's a very kind man, who has worked in the ticket booth at the DCC for 37 years and he's actually from the Cedar Creek area, which is near Straydog. During the weekend he would take his breaks and pop into our booth, to spend time petting the doggies and sharing some childhood stories of picking cotton where Cedar Creek is today. As he was leaving about 6 p.m. on Friday, he stated that over 55,000 tickets had been sold at that point. The event staff calls Friday senior day for a good reason, but the attendees ranged in all age groups.
 
Dinner Friday night resulted in a fast stop at 10 p.m. at El Chico's. Thank goodness, the staff there was kind enough to let us in as they were closing. After a large helping of nachos,, we headed back to the hotel so we could rest up for Saturday and what we were warned would be non-stop interstate traffic. Our wonderful shelter volunteer, Polly, has a wonderful hobby of cooking special treats for all of us. And we are all so glad she has this interest. On Thursday morning, before our departure, she arrived with freshly-baked pineapple pies. Because we were on our way out, our pie made its way to the hotel and became dessert that night. Polly, that pie was so delicious and I plan to return the pan to you for a refill!

Saturday, April 9: 10 a.m. ­ 10 p.m.

Linda's Saturday Report from The Dallas Auto Show ...
 
Saturday's arrival was no surprise, except the waiting line took on a different look. There were lots and lots of short people and they all had an inquisitive look on their faces and many of them were holding onto the hand of a taller person, presumably a parental unit. The waiting line resembled a stroller parade and I began to have an anxiety attack, knowing that prodding fingers and little hands were anxiously awaiting the opportunity to pet, pat, rub, squeeze and feed anything and everything to the doggies. This was going to require a lot of dog management.
 
David and Matt walked in with handsome Tuffy, our wonderful Pitmation (Dalmatian/Pit Bull mix) and the old married couple, Heidi and Lee. Heidi and Lee are Dachshunds, who you can't help but fall in love with. I must take time to purchase a black bow tie for Tuffy to sport and I plan to do that, before he attends the next show. As I have said before, the name Tuffy is such a misnomer. I think Mr. Tuffy would be a better fit. Heidi and Lee settled into their cage, as if they were there waiting on a cup of coffee and the remote control, so they could tune into the morning news.

 
The crowd control squad for Saturday consisted of Barbara Sucher and Nina Lynn, who has a feature article in our upcoming magazine. Both of these special ladies assisted in sharing their admiration of Straydog to the many people, who walked by our booth and they also assisted with crowd control. They both love dogs and their patience with managing the children was exceptional. Todd showed up again on Saturday, just as Barbara had to leave. I'm not sure Todd could kill a fly, but he is wonderful with our dogs and shares in our mission.

 
TAG, which stands for Texas Association of Greyhounds, had a booth at the far end of the aisle. TAG has a large fostering community throughout the Dallas area and they bring their dogs to these shows. When these grand-looking dogs, who stand about three to four feet tall would prance in front of our booth, Mr. Tuffy never said a word. But he looked a little short-legged. Heidi and Lee wanted everyone to know they would protect us from what they probably thought of as predators. Unfortunately, time never permitted a visit with any of their associates.
 
Near closing time, a wonderful couple wanted to know if it would be okay to sit in the Straydog booth, as they waited for their son to pick them up. It didn't take long for Omar and Joan to share their family stories with us and we felt like long-time friends. We learned that they had 12 children, aged 25-65, 63 grandchildren and 43 great-grandchildren. They talked about the values that they had instilled in their children of caring for any animal and the responsibility of giving back to the community and organizations, who take care of these four-legged friends, like Straydog. This couple was truly inspiring and provided an example that we should all follow ­ learn to spend less and give more.
 
It seemed like 10 p.m. rolled around just a few minutes after 10 a.m. and, as we closed up, I checked in with the Dallas Animal Control officers as they too were packing up for the evening and they reported another successful day with seven adoptions ­ yea for those doggies!
 
Dinner Saturday night consisted of a very nasty breakfast/dinner at IHOP. It wasn't anything to write home about. But dinner at 10 p.m. lacks something anyway. We raced back to the hotel, knowing that 11:00 on Sunday morning would be here in no time and that there would be a new crowd of dog lovers awaiting us. I wonder if this is what celebrities feel like ­ ummm?
 

Sunday, April 10: 11 a.m. ­ 7 p.m.

Linda's Sunday Report from The Dallas Auto Show ...

Just as was predicted, the 10 a.m. arrivals proved to be yet another large crowd, even though the show doors didn't open until 11:00. David and Matt arrived, just as we did, and the parking lots were already full. (Let's calculate $12 a car times say 15,000 cars = $180,000 each day minimum ­ okay, you get the gist).
 
Back by popular demand was Harry Potter, the wonder dog, and one of our best friends Big Foot (a rather handsome black Lab with beautiful brown eyes). Harry and Big Foot hadn't been introduced prior to their ride to Dallas. Big Foot was a little jealous and let everyone know that he wasn't sure about having to share the stage with a stranger. But what a smart young boy he is. He soon learned that if he started barking, we would give him a treat to make him quiet. Harry proved to be the main attraction, just as he had been on Friday and everyone in the line couldn't wait to have their pictures made with Harry. David has a lot of pictures to email!

Again, we called on our wonderful supporters, who took their Sunday off to help Straydog at the show. Deb Hartman arrived early in the morning. Deb, along with her husband Jeff, foster dogs on a regular basis and on most Saturday's Jeff can be found at Petsmart with current foster, Oscar. He also helps Straydog with adoptions.

Our other Petsmart regulars, David Bonski and Todd Carr, were also in attendance. First-time volunteer at a special event with us, Marnie Simmons provided joyful, youthful energy, along with Lana Isom. Lana is a  wonderful, caregiving animal lover. Lana's young friend, Savannah, joined us on Sunday and was a great spokesperson to the preteen group. She entertained the dogs and helped to distribute material, as we all did. What a happy champion she was. Savannah has a birthday coming up soon in May, so Happy Early Birthday!

One of our first sets of visitors on Sunday was Ann and Walter. They had adopted Straydog rescue, Lloyd. For those of you, who might not remember, Lloyd was a rescue from one of our long-time supporters from Arlington, Buddy Lloyd. He found Lloyd roaming around his neighborhood. When Buddy returned from work one afternoon, he couldn't locate Lloyd and he became concerned, only to find this poor, overgrown Golden/German Shepherd at the local shelter with his days numbered. Buddy discovered that Lloyd was infested with heartworms and the shelter could not afford to treat him, nor would they release Lloyd to a private citizen. They would only release Lloyd to a shelter. In a frantic moment, Buddy called on Straydog and Erin put her magic touch to work and Lloyd was released and in our custody within a matter of four or five hours. When these types of things happen, Straydog takes full responsibility that the dog will be treated for the ailment, before we release them for adoption. Once Lloyd became well, we took him to several events and he, like Harry, is a special dog. So good old Lloyd became a patient at
Straydog. Ann and Walter shared stories of the joy of at having this big hooligan around their house. They are truly in love with their wonderful pet. Thank you, Ann and Walter, for providing Lloyd with a great home.
 
The day was filled with more coincidences as we met several Straydog supporters, who stopped in to say hello and to remind us to keep up the good work. It must have been around 1:00 in the afternoon, when a lady named Sherry saw our banner and came running up to the table. She couldn't wait to tell us about Hank, another dog that Straydog was able to help rescue from the Irving Shelter and Sherry and her family adopted him.
 
Straydog strives to provide resources to any dog in need, be it a surrender situation, rescue or medical issue. It is so hard to say no, when our shelter is full, which is almost always. At those unfortunate times, we must think outside of the kennel, so to say, and help these animals in other ways whenever possible.
 
It is so heartwarming, during these special events, to hear stories from our supporters and from other guests as they share the special bond that they have with their rescue. My heart swells with emotion, knowing that the giving staff at the Straydog shelter has been able to enrich a human's life and save a dog's life, thanks to the wonderful care, love and attention that our Shelter staff provides.
 
As the Auto Show came to an end, our Event Manager stopped by to thank us for attending and offered us a booth for next year. She also asked us if we were interested in attending the Fort Worth Auto Show in December 2012. You betcha!
 
Please let us know if you are interested in helping at any of our upcoming shows We will be at the International Guitar Show at the Dallas Market Center this weekend and, on the 29th and 30th, we will be attending the Real Texas Festival at the Mesquite Rodeo grounds.
 
As we continue these shows, we are also in need of marketing and booth exhibiting pieces. If anyone has a large screen monitor/TV (like 52") they can put their hands on we would greatly appreciate it.