I’m not sure what my favorite part about Doggie Palooza was: the beautiful weather, the couple thousand dogs on site, the community participation or the happy vendors.

The four years that Doggie Palooza has been around, I’m left with a lasting memory of each one. This year, it’s a quote from a participant who approached me and said, “Thank you for having this event. It is exactly what we needed.”

I petted her dog Milo while she explained that Doggie Palooza is a unique event for people and their dogs, and it brings together local businesses and people for a real sense of community. While referring to the Twin Cities, she said, “It’s kind of our event. We look forward to it each year.”

The one part of Doggie Palooza that continues to be a challenge is the long waiting time for the lure coursing. The problem is that we can’t find a local group to run the lure course because we allow all dogs to participate. Lure coursing is an AKC sanctioned event for sight hounds only. So each year, I bring in Lure Coursing Fanatics from Wisconsin to run the event—and they can only do one course at a time. So if anyone has a solution, please let me know.

Thank you to everyone who attended the event. I loved seeing all the dogs and their people having fun together.

The volunteers who worked at Doggie Palooza did such a good job. We truly appreciate their participation. We cannot run Doggie Palooza without them. Thank you.

And thank you to the vendors who participated. Your involvement helps make Doggie Palooza a fun and successful event for local dog lovers.

The TTouch practitioner who attended Doggie Palooza reports that 23 new people signed up for her classes. The company who ran Pint Size Play on Saturday has 150 new signups. The Skijor Now vendor says he sold more equipment at this event than at any other event he’s attended.

So thank you Twin Cities dog lovers. You’re the best.