Greg and I took our two ten-year-old boys to the Iowa Republican Straw Poll in Ames, Iowa, this last weekend. We wanted to give them a micro-lesson in the democratic election process, and this was a perfect opportunity. At the Straw Poll, they don't ask you about your party affiliation, so everyone is welcome, including kids and dogs. We took our Sheltie puppy, Trooper, dressed in his "Therapy Dog in Training" vest. He can't stay home for any great length of time without a potty break, as he is only seven months old. We used this as yet another opportunity to socialize him in preparation for future therapy work.
We visited all of the candidates' tents, enjoyed the entertainment (I didn't know that Herman Kane had a wonderful voice until he sang a number with Mike Huckabee and a young guitarist) and free food, and got autographs and photos of all kinds of celebrities. Trooper had his photo -- and even video -- taken by many photographers throughout the day. I'm wondering if he will show up on someone else's blog about the Straw Poll. He is always a popular attraction whenever we take him out.
I answered a plethora of questions about animal therapy that day, which is the norm when folks see our dogs in a vest. I found out after the fact that the woman with whom I had a nice conversation (about Trooper, of course!) next to the Fox News stage was Mrs. Huckabee, and it may have been their daughter who also asked about Trooper and gave him a treat. They were just regular folks.
Greg wanted to see Sean Hannity, and we were fortunate enough to find him greeting people around the Fox trailer before his and Huckabee's shows started live filming. I had the camera in one hand taking a photo of Sean and my guys, and Trooper in the other arm to keep him from getting stepped on, when Sean said, "What a cute dog!" and stepped over to pet him. I explained that Trooper was being trained to work with our veterans at the VA hospital, and he said, "That's great! Let's get a picture with the dog." He put his arms around us, and Greg snapped the shot. Trooper is becoming quite the celebrity hound!
Museum front
This is the future site of "The American Working Dog Museum" and its supporting coffee and gift shop, "Toby's Sit & Stay." We will eventually renovate the facade in keeping with historical preservation guidelines.
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