The Happy Camper!

Odie and I went to the National Geographic-Pedigree Doggy Day Camp on Sunday at the Bonifacio High Street Central. We went with my sister Bea and her fostered rescue dog, Theo. It was also Theo's despedida of sorts, as he already went to his permanent home today.

Preparing for Odie's farthest trip ever was stressful for me, only because I kept thinking about it. I was worried because he was so hyper and snarky during the Doggie Trick or Treat at Circulo Verde, and my sister couldn't make it to the Doggy Day Camp so it was just me and Odie in the car (the travel crate is VERY helpful) until we picked up Bea and Theo.

I originally planned on buying a doggie diaper to keep the car safe from accidents, but upon consultation with a veterinarian who sells dog supplies, I was told that they stopped selling diapers because they didn't want to fool their clients. Doggie diapers are sold for around 40 bucks a pop for the smallest size, but it's basically a regular baby diaper with a hole for the tail. So they just tell dog owners to buy a baby diaper and cut a slit where the tail should go. April got a diaper in our neighborhood sari-sari store for P12.

The trip was long so I just moved the passenger seat forward and told Bea to stay in the back seat with Theo. That way, Odie won't be left alone at the back, and he and Theo could mingle with Bea's supervision, and I could drive in peace. Everybody wins.

Join the PACK! Photo from Pedigree Philippines' Facebook page

The venue was so full when we got there! The event organizers allowed 500 online registrants, who claimed their scarf and dog tag quickly in one tent, and there was also another tent with a long line for on-site registration! I've seen the BGC Central a couple of times, and it's definitely not a place where you could fit more than 500 dogs and around a thousand humans. I could only imagine the excitement of some dogs, and the stress of others.

I saw two dogs walking off leash, even if camp rules said that all dogs should be leashed. Due to the limited space and I guess some overwhelmed dog owners, a lot of dogs and dog owners ended up fighting because the dogs could easily interact with one another. Doc Marose emphasized in class that dogs should be out of leash range to avoid unwanted interactions. However, I saw some dog owners minding their own business, not seeing that their dogs are already all over the others, which I found pretty irresponsible. Worst was at the photo booth when the owner of this black chow chow kept going too near because she wasn't even minding her dog, and the dog slobbered saliva on Odie's body! Gross! I was so frustrated, I ended up just carrying Odie.

Inside, there were NGC loot bags being distributed which lots of people lined up for (we skipped that because it was too crowded, went back in the evening and they ran out. pfft), there was also a booth selling dog accessories and offering training courses, a stage, a Pedigree photo booth, an agility course, and tents which housed The Dog Spa and Pendragon Veterinary Clinic.

Odie is chipped!

I went with Bea to Pendragon the day before, so I got to acquaint myself with their place and their vets. Their services are amazing! They assist and confine rescue dogs, do lab tests, and even respond to emergency situations. They seem very warm and they looked like they loved what they were doing, so it was easy to trust them. Their clinic is along Kalayaan Ave. in Quezon City, but they have a mobile clinic that goes to our area on Mondays. Moxie and Theo are regulars at Pendragon, and I know that Bea takes care of them well, so I took Odie to their booth to check out what they had. OH WHAT JOY! They offered a 60% discount on microchipping! I only paid P280 instead of P700, which is a great steal! I finally had Odie microchipped, which I have been thinking about for quite a while now. He was really fidgety when we were there, and cried when the needle went in. Such a baby. They're also offering a 60% discount on microchipping at their clinic for any transactions that reach P1000. Don't know until when the promo is so it's best to head over to their place!

Too much fun!

After microchipping, we decided to ditch the event and went to Cupcakes by Sonja because Jamba Juice was also filled to the brim. Odie and Theo got to know each other more while we were there. Oooh, my boy met someone who could match his energy! He and Theo hit it off pretty well. Boys will be boys, I guess. We walked around the Serendra-High Street area some more and went to different stores, and stopped from time to time to because I guess Odie is such an upstager. We were looking for a place to chill when Bea took interest in letting the dogs try the escalator. It was Theo's first time and he lay flat on the floor! Odie, on the other hand, declined the offer, even if I already put a treat on the step. Gotta try it again next time. I'm discovering Odie's fears one by one. He did pretty well on loose leash walking, but still bit his leash a couple of times.

NGC dog tag and Pedigree loot. Dog scarf was too
dirty from rough play, I had to exclude it!

We got a bit tired so I had two beers at a nearby restaurant. Odie and Theo also gave up and slept on the floor. We checked out the Day Camp again at around 7:30, and most of the booths were closed even if they said they were closing at 9pm. We just had our photo taken, and a little loot bag, and headed back to the north. Upon getting in the car, Odie rushed to his crate and slept like a baby.

We went for dinner in UP Technohub for some peace and quiet, except we didn't quite get that. There was one little boy and one little girl who said they just got a female beagle. The little boy was about six or seven years old, I guess. He kept asking me so many questions about how I train Odie, what tricks he knows, what food he eats, what treats I give him, grabe, almost everything under the sun! Their parents kept telling the kids to go back inside and let me eat the food that I ordered, that I would be paying for, and that had gone cold, but they kept going back out. Hayayayyyy... Parents told me they had their beagle for only a week, so the kids were still very excited. They also asked me where I enrolled Odie, and I'm hoping they would attend Pet Centrics as well. We finally decided to call it a night when I finally had the chance to finish my dinner. Bea baked some peanut butter and bacon treats the day before, and gave some for Odie to take home, which he loved! I'm also happy that Theo loved the liver bits I made.

Peanut butter and bacon treats from Moxie's Kitchen!

I'm sure Odie was knocked out from the day's activities, as he slept in his crate the entire way home, and even refused to move from his travel crate to his wire crate when we got home! I carried him to his wire crate and said good night. The next day, he felt like doing absolutely nothing! We both slept all day. Whenever I opened the door of his crate, he would just stretch and find a way to go out while lying on his side. I've never seen such a lazy dog HAHA! I hope he had a fun day though. I would love to take Odie out more often, and let him meet my friends!