If you are a dog, or own a dog, or know a dog or just like to hang out with dogs, chances are you were at the second annual Vero Beach Dog Park Bow Wow Bark N Brew last Sunday. Hundreds of canines and their humans mixed and mingled, enjoying the gorgeous weather, music by the Collins and Company Band, great food and the many pup-related products and services on display.
There were dogs of every sort and size, from 2-pound minis to 100-plus-pound maxis, cuddly fluff-balls and sleek short-hairs, impressive Danes and Rotties, purebreds, hybrids and rescues. And it was all very civilized, with lots of wag-and-sniffs and no altercations.
For those of the canine persuasion, bowls of cool water were strategically placed throughout the park, and for their human pals, cold draft brews and soft beverages were plentiful as well.
Numerous pooches accepted the challenges of the Agility Course and the Lure Course, and the Dachshunds in the crowd put best paws forward in the always adorable Weiner Dog Race.
A crowd-pleasing Wet Dog Tee Shirt Race tempted enthusiastic participation by dogs and their humans. Commentator Paul Muller called a play-by-play as four dog/human teams at a time raced for a row of four blue buckets, each filled with water and a T-shirt. The goal was for humans to put the wet shirts on their pooches and make it back to the finish line first. Hilarious!
The very first winner was Kahlua Mueller, a chocolate lab teamed with dad Chris and cheered on by mom Sherry. Lily Emmershy, a pretty-in-pink little Shih Tzu won her heat, competing with mom Chris, and later made friends with Mason Smith, a mini labradoodle and her mom Michele. Rescue pit-bull Walter Boser didn’t win his heat but he and mom Mary had fun anyway.
Large crowds gathered for two impressive sheep-herding demonstrations by five herding dogs, a small flock of sheep, and trainers Mike Horgan and Lori Volpi of Draxen Farms, an all-breed sheep herding training facility in Ft. Pierce. Apparently lots of dogs try to herd their humans, the kids, even the family cat.
The well-run, well-attended Bark N Brew will certainly be an event dogs and dog lovers will continue to look forward to each fall.
