The best day of the year

Regular readers of this blog (yes, both of you) are probably expecting to find some sort of Election Day wrap-up here today. Perhaps you're looking for some comments on the Willie Don's defeat or some insight into the voting snafus we've come to know and grudgingly expect? Well sorry. Not here. Not today.

There was another event that managed to steal my attention away from poll results yesterday. It's a little something called the Baltimore County Humane Society's Doggie Paddle. It's an annual fundraiser held at the pool by my house and it's the canine event of the year.

Buddy (the 120-lb. beast of a lab pictured above) and Snoopy (who's the one who really wears the pants in that relationship) were both very brave considering neither has ever been swimming before. (I did attend the event last year with Buddy but because he'd recently had stitches, there were no aquatic activities for him.)

Neither dog was overly thrilled at the site of the adult pool but they warmed up a little after getting their sea legs in the kiddie pool. Unfortunately once out near the adult pool, Buddy and Snoopy had to remain leashed. (One of them, and I'm not naming labs, oops, I mean names, found his way to the refreshments table and almost had himself a nice pizza dinner.)

Words cannot possibly convey the colloquy of cuteness witnessed yesterday. I'll just let the pictures speak for themselves. All together now... Aawwwwww!

This is a random cockapoo that I thought was just too adorable not to include. Like Bud and Snoop, he wasn't entirely sure what to make of the water-laced outing.







A group of dogs showing Snoopy and Buddy how it's done.







Danny and Snoopy get their feet wet. (Notice that one of them seems slightly reluctant. Of course I'm not one to talk. Snoopy has now been to my pool more often than I've been to my pool.)








Buddy needs a little convincing. Maybe next year, Buddy. Maybe next year.