August 16, 2009

An evening in downtown Denver is always interesting, but last night was especially so.

We went with Vanessa and Kevin and their CCI puppy Dennie, first to dinner at Tamayo and then to see PHAMALY's production of "Man of La Mancha." Fairly standard stuff for an evening out for Dennie and me, though going to a musical was a new experience for both of us.

On the way to the restaurant we ran into a huge group of men in tuxedos wearing sneakers in front of the Ellie Caulkins Opera House. They were part of a wedding party. "Where are the bride and groom?" wondered Vanessa. One of the fellows gestured toward the street.

We walked a little further and found them on the corner of 14th and Champa, having their photos taken. We stopped to watch, fascinated by the adorable couple who were leaping into the air off a bench, giggling and making faces for the photographer. "Gee, I wish we'd had that much fun having our wedding photos taken," said Marianne.

Vanessa boldly asked if they'd mind posing with Dennie and me. They readily agreed and told us we were quite handsome. The professional photographers took a couple pictures too, so we might end up in their wedding album. Wouldn't that be funny? Off we went to dinner, where Dennie and I napped under the table. I have no idea why we can't have chile rellenos too, but Marianne told me quite firmly, "NO." Huh.

As we were walking to the theater after dinner we ran into a large group of oddly-dressed and very enthusiastic people. Turns out they were dressed as gladiators doing a charity pub crawl for another service dog organization! Small world, no? They were delighted to pose with us for a photo, too.

Dennie and I settled in for a nice nap once the play started, enjoying the music and ignoring the rest of it. The first act was pretty long though, and I got really hot so I stood up to see what was happening on stage. I was so happy I started wagging my tail, accidentally whacking the two nice ladies in the seats in front of John. (Those seats in the Space theater are kind of close together! I guess the designer didn't think about service dogs.) The ladies were very nice about it and just laughed at me. I climbed into Marianne's lap and panted loudly to make sure she knew I was hot. The lady in front of Marianne turned around with a startled look on her face - I guess she thought it was Marianne making the loud panting noise. She smiled when she realized it was me. Marianne, however, was not amused. "Ross, stop it!" she hissed. "I know you're warm but you'll just have to wait until intermission for break." I tried to pant more quietly as I watched the action on stage for the remainder of the first act.

At intermission we went outside for some fresh air, a hurry break and a drink of water. What a relief! The second act was shorter and Dennie and I snoozed through it. In fact, Marianne had to jostle me awake. I was so relaxed that I slept through thunderous applause and two curtain calls!

Dennie and I agreed that it had been a very interesting evening, indeed. And tomorrow I am off to the annual "Journey to Independence" CCI fundraising event in Cordillera. I went last year too, but I was so small I really don't remember it very well. Marianne says it's a really special event and that I will meet lots of wonderful CCI supporters. I'll let you know how it goes!

Chow for now!

Ross

Questions or comments for Ross? Send him an e-mail!

Would you like more information about Canine Companions for Independence or perhaps be a puppy raiser? Call 1-800-572-BARK or go to CCI for details.