Woofstock June 13-14 2009 +Advice for the event

[king2005]

Is anyone going to Woofstock this year?

Digi & I will be there sat (13th)!!
http://www.woofstock.ca/ini.html

Advice needed:
If I can get my new place setup fast enough, Digi be sporting a Medical Alert Bandana to not feed her.

Does anyone know of a symbol that everyone can understand that means no food? I'll be bring pepto just in case so no worries there.

Any recommendations on what colours I should make it in?

Will white glue hold fabric? I don't know if I'll have time to sew the design on (I'll be cutting the design out by hand) so I'm hoping glue will be a quick solution.. if I have time I'll sew it on.

Also I'm not use to being in massive crowds with a dog.. Any tips?

Digi isn't dog aggressive, but she is fearful (she tries to hide behind me) & will hide if one sniffs her longer then a quick second... Any tips on how to show her other dogs are ok? I cannot take her to dog parks, those dogs attack her.

Whats the best way to keep a dog hydrated when in a huge crowd/event like this? Is water good enough, or should I bring some Gateraid to keep her hydrated? Shes was on a gateraid diet when she was deathly ill & did great on it (a little hyper from the sugar, but hydrated)...

The safest treat for Digi are veggies. Now I've never taken veggies outside on trips before (usually I keep them in a cooler)... Do you think if I brought some broccoli it would be safe to eat after being in my purse for many hours?

[Karen]

Broccoli will certainly be safe, even after a whole day with no refrigeration. Maybe a little limp, but taste and nutrition-wise, it'll be fine.

White glue will hold on fabric BUT it is usually not water-safe, so if you have rain, it'll fall apart.

Bright orange fabric with black text, and I would make a "circle/slash" with a dog biscuit shape inside it. A "Vest" would probably be more effective, and more visible to people than a bandana, just to be safe. Folks are used to reading words on vests for service dogs.

Just my 2 cents!

[king2005]

Broccoli will certainly be safe, even after a whole day with no refrigeration. Maybe a little limp, but taste and nutrition-wise, it'll be fine.

White glue will hold on fabric BUT it is usually not water-safe, so if you have rain, it'll fall apart.

Bright orange fabric with black text, and I would make a "circle/slash" with a dog biscuit shape inside it. A "Vest" would probably be more effective, and more visible to people than a bandana, just to be safe. Folks are used to reading words on vests for service dogs.

Just my 2 cents!


Thank you Karen!

Digi is gonna be so happy to eat Broccoli all day. She LOVES it!! She'll actually bark to get some. Which is weird as she doesn't normally bark.

I'll buy an orange t-shirt & will shape it to fit her. Since its best that I go that route I'll work hard to get the shapes sewn on & not glued.

[Karen]

Thank you Karen!

Digi is gonna be so happy to eat Broccoli all day. She LOVES it!! She'll actually bark to get some. Which is weird as she doesn't normally bark.

I'll buy an orange t-shirt & will shape it to fit her. Since its best that I go that route I'll work hard to get the shapes sewn on & not glued.

Tell Digi she can have my share of broccoli as well, as I am now horrifically allergic to it! The orange T-shirt will stand out well against her black fur, there should be no missing it! Do have fun at the event!

[king2005]

Tell Digi she can have my share of broccoli as well, as I am now horrifically allergic to it! The orange T-shirt will stand out well against her black fur, there should be no missing it! Do have fun at the event!

Allergic to Broccoli?
Hmmm... Does it effect you the same as your other food allergies?
So I know what to look for incase Digi randomly starts getting sick again.. This way I'll remove Broccoli from her diet as a test. I never thought Broccoli could even cause an allergic reaction.

So far Digi has been doing great on the home made food I'm making her. I think I need to double her intake as I swear shes loosing weight again & shes acting hungry all the time (which is not like Digi).. I added rice to her meals so help fatten her up, so I might just make 2 complete meals & give her 1 in the am & 1 in the pm... Miss Digi sure is super hard to care for :S Shes darn luckly I love her to pieces!! hehe I (grandpa) spent 170$ on a new Pressure cooker as I'm no longer with Jordan. Thank goodness Grandpa loves his granddog LOL Ya my dad actually calls himself grandpa LOL :D:eek::rolleyes::D:p:D

[kokopup]

You may be over reacting by having a do not feed sign on your dog. We have a huge festival in Birmingham every year called Do Dah day. In all the years I have been going I have never had anyone try to feed anything to my dog. There are many food suppliers with regular kibble and treats but none were ever offered to my dog directly. We had many vendors offer food and treat samples to us but never directly to our pet.

Unless the people of Canada are very different that those of the southern US then most people do not do anything to your pet without your permission. That goes for petting or feeding. Now the child will rush up and start petting without asking but if there was a sign saying do not pet they would not read it.

In Alabama when we go to the bank or Starbucks we are always given a treat but it is always given to the adult and not the dog.

If your dog has problems with other dogs sniffing then the type of festival you are going to is not the best place to socialize your pet. I can assure you that there is a lot of sniffing going on when you have thousands of dogs all walking around and greeting each other. if you have reservation as to whether it will tolerate sniffing well then I recommend you stay at home.

[ParNone]

I've no advice, but got a chuckle out of the name... Woofstock... how clever! :)

[Karen]

Allergic to Broccoli?
Hmmm... Does it effect you the same as your other food allergies?
So I know what to look for incase Digi randomly starts getting sick again.. This way I'll remove Broccoli from her diet as a test. I never thought Broccoli could even cause an allergic reaction.

My food allergy reactions cover a wide range - from life-threatening anaphylactic to just really uncomfortable. Broccoli - indeed anything in the cabbage family - results in cramping, diarrhea, vomiting, itchy roof of mouth, and coughing/wheezing. The vomiting continues for 12-16 hours, long past the time when any trace of broccoli remained in my system.

Needless to say, I have not had broccoli since that reaction.

Anything - any food - can cause an allergic reaction, sadly. After all, I am allergic to celery - just about the most harmless seeming thing going! And a friend is allergic to sugar cane - so cannot have anything with sugar in it, just in case.

[Seravieve]

You may be over reacting by having a do not feed sign on your dog. We have a huge festival in Birmingham every year called Do Dah day. In all the years I have been going I have never had anyone try to feed anything to my dog. There are many food suppliers with regular kibble and treats but none were ever offered to my dog directly. We had many vendors offer food and treat samples to us but never directly to our pet.

Unless the people of Canada are very different that those of the southern US then most people do not do anything to your pet without your permission. That goes for petting or feeding. Now the child will rush up and start petting without asking but if there was a sign saying do not pet they would not read it.

In Alabama when we go to the bank or Starbucks we are always given a treat but it is always given to the adult and not the dog.

If your dog has problems with other dogs sniffing then the type of festival you are going to is not the best place to socialize your pet. I can assure you that there is a lot of sniffing going on when you have thousands of dogs all walking around and greeting each other. if you have reservation as to whether it will tolerate sniffing well then I recommend you stay at home.

I agree with both parts.

My mom and I just attended Bark In The Park with Eli several weeks ago and only had 1 person try to give him something, a dog biscuit, which he wouldn't take anyways (He doesnt eat in public...). The guy was a worker and was a the dog fountain station (multiple water bowls and bottled water for the pups). We've gotten treats through the drive thru pharmacy at Walgreens, and some other place I can't remember. They're always the milkbone-type and are always given to me. Even at Petsmart they ask before they give to the dog.

Dogs and crowds.. I'd keep a short leash on her.. Whoever thought retractable leashes + crowd = good idea was a moron... lots of people with those stupid retractable ones at BITB and they were a mess. Eli is shy with strangers but he did well when I kept him close to me (I used a 4ft leash and a prong collar).

Good luck! Sounds fun! =)