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K-9s bone up on tricks

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MONTPELIER — When Petey gets excited, Petey drools. On Saturday, the slobber was flowing liberally from his huge Newfoundland jowls.

"He's drooling because he's excited," explained Pat Walters, the 7-year-old dog's proud Calais owner.

Petey's ebullience on the Statehouse lawn Saturday was a testament to the Central Vermont Humane Society's 14th annual "K-9s and Company" celebration, where about 100 humans and nearly as many dogs roamed the grounds for a day of canine-centered fun.

"It's not something we do as a money-maker," said Marcia Bellas, interim executive director at CVHS. "It's just an educational event, for people to get to know the crazy world of dogs a little better."

Commercial vendors, veterinary clinics and nonprofit rescue organizations set up booths on the State Street green. A welcome area was well-stocked with "poopie" bags, next to a sign encouraging their use.

Petey, outfitted with a blue terrycloth bib (for the drool), panted in the late-morning sun as he awaited his chance to "try out" for a gig as a therapy dog.

"We used to take my old Newfoundland to my mom's retirement community, and everybody loved him," Roberts said. "He was the thrill of their day. Even the nurses liked to see him."

Steve Reiman, president of Therapy Dogs of Vermont, stood outside his organization's booth preaching the curative powers of canine affection. He oversees an operation that coordinates the visits of about 200 dogs to hospitals, nursing homes, daycares, schools and even prisons.

Fifteen years ago, he said, his own pair of German Shepherds lifted a young girl out of a coma. He still gets teary recounting that fateful visit to the intensive care unit.

"I picked up the girl's hand and brought it over to his wet nose," Reiman said. "And there was this little flicker in her eyes."

In a matter of minutes, according to Reiman, the girl, recovering from a brain aneurysm, was out of her hospital bed and upright in a chair, posing for pictures with his dogs.

"I don't know exactly what it is," Reiman said. "There's something about taking the focus off their pain, off their problems, and dogs do that."

In one corner of the lawn, Kim Ingraham, owner of "Paws-4-Fun," set up an agility course that featured plastic tunnels, jumps and other obstacles. Ingraham trains her students (a catch-all term for both dogs and their owners) in a backyard course at her East Montpelier home. Some of the more serious teams go on to perform in regional and statewide competitions.

"Our dogs do a pretty good job of teaching us how to have a good time," Ingraham said. "We have a lot to learn from them."

Dale Pritchard, of Danville, and her Belgian Malinois, Fritz, have been taking classes at Paws-4-Fun since June. On Saturday, Pritchard used treats to coax the reluctant dog up something resembling a see-saw.

"She loves it," Pritchard said.

For Pritchard and Fritz, though, the day was more about socializing than training. Belgian Malinois are apparently known for their shyness — Fritz spent much of the afternoon with her tan tail tucked tight behind her hind legs.

"It's a big deal for her to be out here with this many people," Pritchard said.

The day was free of any dog-on-dog hostility, a bit of good fortune that Bellas attributed to good sense by central Vermont dog owners.

"People don't bring the ones that don't get along," she said.

And for the humane society, the event offered a chance to encourage dog people to consider becoming cat people as well. The Barre shelter is overrun with felines — the result of owners' failure to spay and neuter their animals, Bellas said.

Prospective owners have until Sept. 11 to take advantage of special adoption rates for cats.