Dog-friendly events are great, if your dog is a fan of them
Animal lovers from all over the Bay Area will converge in Novato on May 22 for Woofstock, a music benefit festival for Marin Humane, and many will have their leashed dogs in tow.
Having your canine buddy accompany you to dog-friendly events can be a ton of fun. They'll get a chance to meet other dogs and dog-lovers, they can walk around with you while you peruse vendors and they often get plenty of treats.
But not all dogs enjoy such an atmosphere. With all the sights, sounds and smells, it can quickly become overwhelming to a dog that's not comfortable with it.
A good gauge of how your dog might handle a festival or similar event is whether they enjoy dog parks. As we covered in a recent issue, dog parks or other situations in which there is a lot of stimuli can be too much for many
dogs. So, ask yourself, does your dog truly enjoy meeting other dogs? Does your dog act respectfully toward new dogs (moving
away if the other dog isn't interested, moderating their play style, etc.)?
Two other important aspects to consider are
whether your dog is a people person (at an event like Woofstock, your dog will likely get lots of strokes on the head from strangers) and whether sudden or loud noise like amplified music, applause, yelling and whistles bothers them. If your dog startles easily, it's only fair to leave them at home.
If you do take your dog to an event like Woofstock, keep these important tips in mind:
• Bring treats. Try not to let the other dogs know you have them.
• Choose a spot in a lowstress location that has a comfortable place for your dog to lie down. Lower traffic with an escape route is better. Dogs have sensitive ears, so choose a quieter spot that's not too close to the speakers.
• Keep an eye on your dog at all times so that you can scoop the poop and make sure all interactions are friendly.
• Even dogs that are great with other dogs and people will need to take a break. Walk your dog away from crowded areas from time to time.
• Keep your dog cool and hydrated. That means feeling the ground to make sure it's not too hot.
Tickets are still on sale for Woofstock at marinhumane.org/woofstock. Hundreds of guests will enjoy music by the Eagles cover band the Illeagles, along with food trucks, beer and wine, animalthemed vendors and even a kids' zone.
All proceeds benefit the shelter animals, so whether you rock out with your four-legged friends or just the two-legged ones, you'll be supporting a great cause!
Lisa Bloch is the marketing and communications director for Marin Humane, which contributes Tails of Marin articles and welcomes animal-related questions and stories about the people and animals in our community. Go to marinhumane.org, find us on social media