WHY I LOVE ME, 35

NutJob after a swim.
Photo: Deb, who else?

Why do I love ME? Because here, dogs rule! Take that, you evil soul-sucking cats.

The Maine Lobster Festival just ended and though we're still waiting for the dog days of summer to start and it's already August, we have the Boatyard Dog Trials to hold off the murdering spree until the freakin' sun comes out for more than 4 hours.

This weekend is the 7th annual Maine Boats, Homes & Harbor Show in Rockland, Maine, the only in-water boat show in the whole state. Imagine that? There will be more than 70 boats in the water and 150 exhibits on terra firma. When Rockland hosts a festival or a show, they do it big and they do it right. Check this out from the MBH&H web site:

Come see Maine's finest artists, architects, boat builders, furniture makers, craftsmen, designers, marine gear vendors, and musicians. There'll be a model yacht pond, live music, an area for children, exhibits, fine food, the running of the 7th Annual World Championship Boatyard Dog® Trials*, some wacky zucchini boat racing, and more!

Only six dogs are accepted for the trials from their essay/photo submissions Along with their handlers, they will compete against one another for the honor of being featured in a future issue of Maine Boats, Homes & Harbors magazine as well as receiving the coveted "Pup Cup" trophy for one year.

There are only three rules that MUST be obeyed:

1. Either the dog(s) or handler(s) must finish completely soaked.
2. Cheating is not only tolerated, but encouraged.
3. There are no other rules.

Here is a sampling of the competition:

Dockside Obstacle Course: Dog and handler negotiate a maze of lobster traps, piles of rope, and other assorted wacky dockside paraphernalia while being timed.

Dinghy-Hopping Trials: Dog and handler hop in and out of a very tipsy dinghy tied to a float.

Freestyle Event: This is the dog's chance to show off and display any cool tricks or talents it may have. A past doggie contestant "convinced" its human to jump into the water to fetch a stick (the dog was a German Shepherd, which explains that). Another dog did his best Elvis impersonation.


Like that isn't enough to get your tail wagging, there will also be an appearance by the newly crowned Maine Sea Goddess from the Lobster Festival, Callie MacQueston of Vinalhaven! Woo Hoo!

Still not impressed? Heavy sigh. You people are impossible. Keep reading.

Youthlinks is a local nonprofit agency that pairs young members of the community with local charities. Last year they took on the challenge of training a shelter dog to compete in the Boatyard Dog Trials. Their charge was Truman, a walker hound mix from the Humane Society of Knox County, Maine. They only had a few weeks to teach a young dog new tricks.

Taylor & Snediker Woodworking of Pawcatuck, CT is a wooden-boat building and restoration company. Shawn McGinnis, a worker at the company just happened to be looking for a pet when the November edition of Maine Boats, Homes and Harbors featuring the winner of the 2008 Boatyard Dog Trials: Truman, the shelter dog.

Truman and his Youthlinks handlers win the Pup Cup!

McGinnis got in his car and drove the six hours north to meet Truman. They walked together and hung out for a bit and they hit it off. Truman now spends his days at Taylor & Snediker Woodworking. Since a love for dogs is a prerequisite for employment at Taylor and Snediker, Truman gets to hang out with a lot of other dogs in the boatyard.

The Maine Boats, Harbors & Homes magazine puts on a great show. It's so great that over 10,000 people are expected over the course of the weekend to check it out, but most of all to cheer on the six contestants vying for the Pup Cup. Until the story is archived, you can check out the contestants for the 2009 Boatyard Dog Trials at VillageSoup.com.

Now do you love ME?


Photos and Credits:
Maine Boats, Harbors & Homes
Soundings
MainePets.com
Village Soup