Badger's Easter Egg Hunt

On Saturday, Badger and I went to Petco for a doggy Easter egg hunt. The store had advertised their event as an Easter egg hunt for both dogs and kids, so I didn't know what to expect in terms of the number of people or dogs or how well-behaved the kids would be. Erring on the side of caution, Badger wore his head collar, and I brought a clicker and a bag of kibble mixed with vienna sausages.

Luckily, the store was almost empty, and we ended up not even using the head collar. We saw maybe 4 or 5 other dogs there, and, as expected, Badger didn't pay them too much attention. Sometimes he gets a little stare-y at small dogs, but I (and the vienna sausages) even managed to keep Badger calm while he got stared down by a tiny cocker spaniel. We wandered around the store for about half an hour, practicing some basic commands and finding two treat-filled eggs.

The hardest part for Badger was greeting people. He was way too excited - all bouncy and wriggly and kissy. This is something that we've needed to practice for a while. I say "we" because I need to practice being firm with other people, especially dog lovers, and explain that Badger should be calm before receiving any attention.

There was one time that Badger didn't heed his "leave it" command. He picked a toy from the shelf and proceeded to slobber on it so much that I felt the need to buy it. This was our cue to leave, since Badger only had eyes for his new toy. We were handed two bags of Easter goodies on our way out.

Free Easter goodies from the snack bar at Petco

Badger and Mushroom wear seat belt harnesses when in the car, so imagine my surprise when I pulled into my garage and saw a naked Badger sitting on the floor behind the driver's seat. I'll really have to remember to tighten that harness the next time we go out.

Badger is not here. Only Houdini

Badger then proudly carried his new toy from the car back to our apartment, Mr. B-style. Unlike Mr. B, he then destroyed it in approximately a minute.

Badger and his toy, in happier times (ie: before we went inside)

Mushroom didn't get to go on the Easter egg hunt because we want to set her up for success, and she's not quite ready for a store full of dogs and kids. I stuffed some of the treats from the goodie bags into our acorn for her. She's not the most adept at food toys, so she actually gave up and took a nap instead of getting all the treats out. Overall, we ended up with two full, sleepy dogs, so I'd consider it a success.

Om nom nomzzzzz...

Did you and your dog(s) have any special Easter adventures?