This weekend, Cassius and I had a lot of firsts together: First vacation. First hotel stay. First CCI fundraiser. First time being with 50+ other dogs. First beach romp (and also the first time he’s knocked me down on said uneven sand, but we’re going to ignore that).
It all went wonderfully. Although Cassius is mellow and laid back, like all CCI dogs he loves people and dogs. Having a lot of people fawning over him and telling him how good he is, he’ll gladly take it! Met lots of wonderful CCI puppies in training, fellow graduate teams, volunteers, and a few crazy (but loveable) change of career dogs. Somehow acquired yet more things with CCI logos on them. Lost a few raffles. Gained a lot of experience in crowds-with-dog.
I’m really glad I went, I was a little hesitant a few months ago that we’d not be ready, but we definitely are! I like passing these milestone moments with Cassius, now planning for our first plane trip to Southern California soon.
And because a post like this isn’t complete without plenty of photos of said dog looking uber-cute (unfortunately, mostly posed shots-haven’t mastered the art of photographing-while-holding-dog):
Natalie Abbott 