Second Chance: Love Your Valley & Your Dog

19 May Second Chance: Love Your Valley & Your Dog

This weekend in Ridgway people will be gathering from throughout the region to celebrate the beauty and splendor of the Valley where Ridgway is nestled.

There they will celebrate, with the aid of all sorts of finely crafted beer from throughout the southwest Colorado, and live music in Ridgway’s Town Park. But the secret ingredient to Saturday’s “Love Your Valley Festival” is dogs.

Hooch

We all know Ridgway is a dog-loving community, but actually it is more than that: it is a community that promotes loving dogs. Pet-friendly communities like Ridgway promote a generous, aware, humane, eco-friendly kind of a lifestyle that is very emblematic of why people choose to live here. “Got dog?” is another way of asking, “do you get our values and the kind of conscious lifestyle we are working to achieve here?”

The “Love Your Valley Festival” has always included dogs (and mother-in-laws, but that is a topic for a different Pet Column). And of course, because why would you leave your furry friend home on a day that celebrates all that our valley has to offer. Who has more fun than dogs on the rivers, trails, mountains, and lakes that surround Ridgway?

Even more reason to bring your dog to the festival is that Second Chance Humane Society will be there again leading dog activities such as Musical Doggie Butts (last dog to sit when the music stops is eliminated); the Doggie Talent Show (win prizes for dog with the loudest howl, shortest legs, and other fierce furry challenges); and the highly competitive Lassie Limbo contest.

Don’t have a dog to join in on the fun with?

No problem – you can adopt one at the festival at Second Chance’s Mobile Mutts & Meows van and booth, which will be available onsite for the afternoon. Come meet one of many adoptable pets (see my bio below!) and love your valley and your new dog!

So yes, again you can meet me this Saturday. You will recognize me as a two-year-young Australian Shepherd with a propensity for making people laugh. My name is Hootch and I am a goofy sweet boy, who is friendly with everyone, including other dogs and cats. Loyal to my breeding, I do enjoy chasing cows, especially when they join in the game and run. But as an Aussie, I will be very devoted to my new family and eager to please. My motto is “if at first you don’t succeed…try it again with a wagging tail.”

So grab your dancing flip flops, your leash (so your dog can keep track of you) and your canine crush and come join the fun this coming Saturday, May 21, Ridgway’s Town Park from 1-6 p.m.

Wag you later…

PS –A healthy lifestyle isn’t just for the dogs – for those cat lovers out there too, there are plenty of friendly felines at Second Chance too. For example, Alley is a one-year-young gold tabby. She had a rocky road before being rescued by Second Chance so she is a bit shy, but she is active and can be playful. I suspect once she gets into a loving home she will really show you her true nature…

Alley

Editor’s note: It’s no secret. The Telluride region is dog heaven. Well, pet heaven. Unless you are one of our furry friends who gets caught in the maw of neglect and abuse. Then heaven is on hold until Second Chance Humane Society comes to the rescue. Second Chance is the region’s nonprofit dedicated to saving animals’ lives and promoting responsible pet parenting and human-animal bond. In her weekly blog, executive director Kelly Goodin profiles at least one, generally two of the many animals now living at the no-kill shelter, Angel Ridge Shelter, a dog and a cat, hoping to find them loving permanent homes. The column is sponsored by Ted Hoff of Cottonwood Ranch & Kennel, who from time to time exercises his skills as a dog whisperer, partnering with Kelly and her staff to help train a particularly challenging animal.

Ted Hoff &  Magnificent Mae

By the by, there is no better place to park your pup or get your pup (or adult dog) trained than Cottonwood whenever you head out of town (for locals) or are heading to town and staying somewhere that does not allow pets. Consider joining Ted’s Very Important Dog (VID) Club for added benies. (Details on Ted’s website.)