Talos' appearance at the fundraiser at the Dogfish Head Ale House was a success! We stayed about three hours and met lots of nice people. I even met another Great Dane owner and we commiserated about the amount of drool that comes out of a Dane's mouth immediately after drinking. (Not a conversation for the faint of heart, let me tell you.)
Talos did a fine job meeting and greeting everyone, especially the children. He's a big kisser and I feel the need to warn every mother and her kids that if they want to pet Talos, a kiss is part of the deal! Most kids think it's funny and collapse into a fit of giggles. As you might imagine, that tickles Talos and he kisses more. It's a vicious cycle -- kisses, giggles, more kisses, more giggles.
Things we need to work on: getting Talos to go under the tables. He relaxes comfortably - in the middle of the aisle. Patrons and servers are required to step around him. And he's not even big yet! It's a skill he can learn, fitting himself into small spaces, I guess I didn't realize how important that skill will be, especially since he's going to be a big dog.
He got a bit tired toward the end of our time there and decided my foot would be a good pillow. He promptly fell asleep on my boot. Still in the aisle, now just very cute.
The event was another great socialization experience for us. We alternated between being surrounded by people and kids (one of whom found Talos' tail fascinating and made different shapes with his tail!) and being all alone at a table while I ate lunch. Outside the restaurant, there was a lot of traffic, honking horns, loud trucks and even pedestrians. It was a bonanza!
We met so many nice folks, including the servers at the Dogfish Head Ale House. It was a great day for Talos and for Service Dogs of Virginia. A big thank you to Ella for inviting us and being so kind and gracious.
