A Day in University

Oops, looks like this entry is way overdue!

Photo courtesy of Pedigree Philippines

On November 24, 2013, my siblings and I brought Odie to his second Pedigree event: Pedigree University. The event was originally scheduled on November 10, but was postponed due to the wrath of Typhoon Haiyan. I woke up early on the 24th to make sure we're ready for a long (but fun) day out. I gave him a bath, packed his going out things (collapsible bowl, water bottle, waste bags, toilet paper, two meals' worth of kibble, and DentaStix) then made some freshly baked liver treats to last us the whole day. Registration was at 10am but he might get too tired so we decided to go after lunch.

We got to the venue at 1:30PM which I figured would be just enough time to go to different classes and explore the area. There were so many people and dogs roaming the BHS Central atrium. The layout this time around was a lot more reasonable as it spread out through the entire High Street area. The Doggy Day Camp in 2012 only made use of that one atrium which obviously caused problems when there were around 500 dogs to fit. We were given a vicinity map and a class card upon registration, and were informed that we needed to visit at least five booths including the NatGeo Talent Class and the Pedigree Canteen in order to claim our loot bag filled with goodies. 

Mikky, this is my Ate Kimmy.
Photo courtesy of Aries Almera for Pedigree Philippines.

We quickly headed to our first stop, the NatGeo Talent Class. I thought the dog doing tricks looked familiar, even more so when I noticed the small drum she was standing on bearing the name Mikky. I held on to my sister and whispered "I think she's the dog from Kimmy Dora!" and I was pretty starstruck from then on. Animal Trainer Jun Lazarte confirmed that it was indeed Mikky of Kimmy Dora fame. She's an Aspin (Asong Pinoy, Philippine Native Dog) who knows so many tricks. The trainer gave a lecture on how to set dogs up for positive training, and gave a couple of pointers on what dog owners should and should not do. Most of the things he said were taught to us in Pet Centrics, so I knew he was saying the right things. Ironically enough, we were in a NatGeo event, and videos of The Dog Whisperer were playing in the background, and he was implying that Cesar Millan's methods are rubbish (which they are).

I was excited to go to the other booths so our next stop was the Science booth where we learned the pros and cons of dry, canned, and raw diets. The lecturer was a vet from Mandaluyong Animal Care Dog and Cat Hospital. I've been seeing so many posts from raw diet advocates and a lot of them are such assholes about it so it kind of made me hate raw feeders because they make kibble/canned feeders seem like very irresponsible parents. I mean, whatever happened to "to each his own" right? So I found it very beneficial that the lecturer's approach wasn't as aggressive as legit raw feeders. She made it clear that whatever diet the dog is on is okay as long as the dog is healthy, and that every diet has its loopholes. Personally, I'm fine with feeding Odie kibble because his skin and coat look well kept, and of course I always keep a stash of treats that I cook/bake from scratch. 

WILL WORK FOR FOOD!!!
Photo courtesy of Bacchus Irish for PCSA.

Being a beagle means having zero patience for sitting through lectures and Odie surely wanted to get that point across. He kept walking and fidgeting and running and humping whenever I tried to get us settled. I knew that there was a Physical Education Class set up by Philippine Canine Sports Alliance so that was our destination right after Science Class. It was a mini agility course wherein dogs were given the chance to go through a jump, a tunnel, then a hoop. The one who assisted us told me that Odie has lots of potential and should definitely look into learning agility. Well, actually, the first thing she told me was that Odie is very matakaw (eats with loads of gusto) which of course I couldn't deny. Then I revealed that he's been learning to work with agility equipment. I learned that the humans I met used to be Pet Centrics students too, but they took a class when Odie wasn't born and I didn't know a thing about training. 

Photo courtesy of Mariel Dayrit for PCSA.

The culminating activity was fast approaching and we didn't know what class to take because some of the classes only had fixed slots that filled up quickly. My sister and I also wanted to chill as taking care of a hyper dog is exhausting. We picked the booth which was right in front of us then, the Clinic, which offered a free veterinary checkup courtesy of Mandaluyong Animal Care Dog and Cat Hospital. We really didn't have any questions, we just wanted to earn a stamp HAHA so the vet said he's fine but offered to clean his ears for free. Why not? So the vet's assistant prepped and Odie isn't really used to their method of ear cleaning (plus he didn't know those humans) so he started to act up. He didn't react much to one ear, but got angry when the other ear was being cleaned. We haven't had it tested yet, but he doesn't react to ear cleaning at home so I hope he was just acting.

At 4PM we headed over to the assembly area but the program hadn't started then so we went to the Pedigree Canteen first. It's actually a photo booth where Odie's photo was taken in order for us to donate a kilogram of Pedigree dog food to CARA Welfare Philippines. We then claimed our loot bag, a small sling bag that had some treats inside. It's now Odie's going out bag because it's small but can hold all the essentials for a day outdoors.

The Scholars!
Photo courtesy of Aries Almera for Pedigree Philippines.

The graduation rite was a series of talks by different people about training, welfare, laws, health, and other concerns. Basically it tied all the classes together before sending people off. It did become dragging though because the speakers took way longer than the time allotted for them, so I guess that made it similar to actual graduation in human schools haha. But I understand those people because they're so passionate about what they do. I tend to be like that also. Odie was requested to stay after the program because he's a University Scholar aka he was one of the winners of the photo contest. As usual, Odie became restless so we stayed near Jamba Juice which was very convenient for the humans. It also rained around halfway through so we all stayed in the makeshift auditorium which quickly became stuffy and very wet. Odie's name and photo was shown as one of the scholars, and surprisingly, my sister also won a goodie bag from NatGeo because of her Instagram photo. 

Haggard me and my graduate looking at the treat in front of him!
Photo courtesy of Phoebe Gaerlan. 

We lined up backstage to claim our prizes and I was giving Odie some treats so that he would behave. I was holding a treat in my hand when I felt a slobbery tongue reaching for the treat! Turns out, the large dog behind me (it was a Bull Mastiff) was also lined up and liked the treat I baked so he stole it. His human was so embarrassed so we just laughed it out. My sister and I got our prizes and it was finally time to go home. Odie rode the car and fell fast asleep. God knows how much my siblings and I wanted to sleep too! We reached home at 9:30PM and Odie went straight to his wire crate and dozed off for the night.

Pedigree University loot:
2 NatGeo bags, 1 NatGeo Pedigree bag, 2 neck pillows, 1 toothbrush from Wishbone Pet Care and Wellness Center, 2 small DentaStix, 8 large Dentastix, 1 pouch Pedigree Home Style beef chunks in sauce, 1 small pack Pedigree Adult Complete Nutrition beef and vegetables flavor, 3 500g boxes Pedigree Adult Complete Nutrition beef and vegetables flavor, 1 Pedigree bandana, and 2 small packs of Wild Willy's Chicharrones (for the humans, of course).

I'm thankful for another chance to spend a loooong day with Odie. I love seeing him tired and happy that's why I always make time for activities like this in which he and the humans can bond. I'm also happy that my siblings came with us or else it would have been total chaos. Pedigree University was definitely a lot better than the previous year's Doggy Day Camp, so I guess that means they're taking participants' feedback seriously. They seem to have established an effective system though so if they're going to make this a yearly event, Odie and I will always be up for it. Thank you, Pedigree Philippines!