Sunday, April 15, 2012

Lulu the Beagle stays high and dry at the Spring Splash and Shout in Orlando

From what people tell me, beagles don't like water.

As has been demonstrated, Lulu is not fond of her baths, though she does like to dip her toes in the plastic pool at Dr. Phillips Dog Park.

But I am curious about whether Lulu would like to swim, if given the chance. So, Lulu and I took a trip out to east Orange County Saturday, to Happy Paws Pet Resort, where dozens of dogs were taking part in the Spring Splash n Shout.



Apparently there is a national circuit for competitive doggy dock-jumping. Splash Dogs travels all over the country, and dog owners bring their four-legged friends out to the specially-made traveling dock to see which dog can jump off it the farthest and into a pool of water -- normally while retrieving a toy. Dogs of all sizes can do this, and they also had practice time for new dogs.



Some of those dogs jumped pretty far -- like 15, 20 feet from the dock. Pretty amazing. But not everyone liked it. At least one dog, instead of jumping off the dog, ran the other way, down the stairs and away from the owner. Fortunately they were quickly corralled.

When I saw that a this beagle/bassett hound we met did not want to try evens the small practice ramp, I know Lulu wouldn't be interested. I did, however, get Lulu to try one thing new -- an A frame, which is one of the obstacles used in agility courses. Once she got the hang of it she was pretty awesome.

(Yes, that's me.)

I also checked out Happy Paws, and I think I will take Lulu back at some point. They are a grooming, day camp and pet resort that also has training classes. They also have a bone shaped pool with shallow and deep ends, and you don't have to pay for day camp if you just want your dog to use the pool, which is good, because I do want Lulu to at least know what to do if she ends up in water. The facility was beautiful, and the dogs seemed very happy.



Happy Paws Pet Resort is on east State Road 50 at the intersection of 50 and State 408, on the east end of Orange County. They are open seven days a week.



And while you're out there, check out 5 & Diner, which just opened a pet-friendly patio. This place is one of those east Orange county mainstays, serving up traditional diner fare late into the night. My chocolate chip pancakes were great, and the service was fantastic. UPDATE: This restaurant burned down a few months later and opened in a new location.


1 comment :

  1. Nice sharing.you are the best in this field.thanks for sharing this nice blog.

    ReplyDelete

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