Sunday, April 8, 2012

Easter Eggs and Bunny Ears



The Doggie Easter Egg Hunt is an annual event where hundreds of dogs congregate in Savannah for an afternoon of fun in the sun. Erin's tail moves a million miles a hour as she greets old and new friends alike while her freckled nose remains on sensory overload from the multitude of scents. Many dogs are dressed in their Sunday best...Bonnets dresses, ribbons, jewelry and pink bunny ears are donned in an effort to catch the judges attention and ultimately claim the best bonnet award but I simply refuse to humiliate Erin in this manner.

Vendors hawking pet-related goods and services plus several pet adoption agencies with available dogs line the north side of the park and the animals are too cute to just ignore. Erin sticks her snout through the wire pens openings to say hello and becomes really excited when yelping youngsters are lifted up for closer examination. As glammed up dogs stream into a roped off area for the bonnet competition I lead Erin to the egg hunt starting point where we could get a paw up on the other pooches. Plastic Easter eggs filled with dog treats have been scattered across the field and are available on a first-come first-serve basis; it was my intention to gather as many eggs as possible in the short time allotted.

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The crowd swells behind us with every passing minute until the moment arrives...The countdown begins then the human/canine wave is released with Erin and I leading the charge. Festive colored eggs in our path are scooped up and tossed into a plastic bag, fallen leaves and Spanish moss are overturned in an effort to locate the treat-laden eggs. Young boys without dogs sprint pass us and snatch up eggs in a frenzy while my eyes dart from side to side looking for a splash of color. On the move an egg is cracked open and without breaking stride the treat is handed to Erin; this certainly got her attention and needless to say her enthusiasm for finding eggs increased. The number of captured eggs steadily rose the further we ventured out, I hear the winded boys ranting something about finding golden eggs which contain extra treats thus my attention turns to locating one. A golden egg is eventually found and tossed into the bag with the others thus our mission is complete.

Back at the starting point folks discuss their haul while dogs anxiously await their rewards; Erin is weaved through the crowd to an isolated bed of clover where we inspect the spoils of our victory. The bag is bulging with dozens and dozens of eggs and I'm giddy at the amount we were able to collect. I kneel down and slowly crack open the eggs one by one...The treats are fed to Erin while the plastic shells are heaped into a discard pile. Hypnotized she refuses to take her eyes off my hand for fear of missing out on something delicious and believe me she got her share before we headed home where the remainder were consumed over the next week. It was a magical fun day with my best friend and a time that I'll always fondly remember!!

Unbeknownst to me a photographer was snapping photos of the days events and captured the endearing images above.




Our Golden Egg


P.S.  Cody enjoyed his first Easter Egg hunt last weekend

21 comments:

  1. Aww, what an exciting game, David! And it sounded even more fun when your dog played it with you! I love your memories of Erin. Your love for her is so beautiful and touching. :-)

    Happy Easter and God bless, David! :-)

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    1. Finding Easter eggs is fun whether with kids, dogs, or adults...I bet you would have a great time running around with Dave. Thank you for your kind words!! Happy Easter Irene!!

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  2. Awwwwwwwww I was smiling and giggling through this whole post...You really had some AWeSOME time with Erin...and I'm thinking you are already having them with Cody... Happy Easter... As always...XOXOXOXO

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    1. Bonnie I'm so glad you enjoyed the post!! I certainly had some great times with Erin and I'm ensuring Cody receives his fair share of happy outings. Happy Easter my friend!!

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  3. This was fun reading! It must have been an amazing day,David! What fond memories you have of Erin and the Easter egg hunt :) Happy Easter David, to you and Cody!

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    1. It was a fab day for both of us...I brought home many great memories and Erin took home a sack full of goodies. A fine day no doubt!! Thanks for visiting and Happy Easter!!

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    1. Savannah is quite a dog town and there are always events for them here. Interesting indeed!!

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  5. I can imagine this..such a fun event. I'm so glad you didn't put Erin in a bonnet - I'm not crazy about dressing dogs up - just doesn't seem right to me.

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    1. No bonnets on Erin...She was born with a fur coat and that's all she needed

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  6. Oh, David, such sweet and touching memories here! I'm with Corinne - I'm so glad you didn't "doll" Erin up for this event. She was such a gorgeous dog and didn't need a thing to spruce up her natural beauty.
    Hope you had a blessed and happy Easter!

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    1. Martha Thanks for the sweet words regarding Erin...She was beautiful inside and outside thus no help was required from me. My Easter was very nice. Hope yours was as well :)

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    2. Yes, it was! Looking forward to the fifty days of Easter on the church calendar. :)

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  7. David I love the first photo of you and Erin...it captures the essence of the Easter Hunt...she is so focused on what you are doing almost saying...hurry up...I am waiting. What a wonderful event for everyone and it sounds like so much fun and frenzy...and everyone comes home with a treat...a little tired...and doggy and owner smiles upon their faces...how wonderful that Cody now carries on that tradition with you...and I am sure...Erin running alongside...Beautiful post filled fun....Always...

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    1. LeeAnn, I love that pic as well...The world could have been imploding around us and her eyes would never have left my hands. We both had a nice time seeing friends and I'm glad Cody had the opportunity to experience it. Thanks so much for visiting, it's nice to see you around these parts again!!! :)

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  8. I love that you mix your memories with the present day. The best to you. You are a dear man.

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    1. Tameka Glad you enjoyed it and thanks for stopping by!! Cody is continuing down many of the trails Erin blazed that's for sure...

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  9. I never imagined that these kinds of events even existed and I have had dogs all of my life. This looks like quite the good time! I'm glad that you have all of these wonderful memories :)

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    1. Mary I had no idea about the canine social scene until Erin entered my life and we got there together. Luckily for us Savannah is very dog-friendly with lots of events for dogs throughout the year. Sometimes I believe my memories are my most prized possession!! Appreciate you taking the time to visit :)

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  10. Wonderful memories of a wonderful relationship. I am so glad you have Cody to carry on the tradition I'm positive Erin is too! I love the top photo, such a beautiful shot. says it all...<3

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    1. Jan I'm sure Erin is glad Cody found his way into my life and his presence has certainly been a blessing. It's a great shot no doubt. Thanks for wandering by!!

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