Chapawter 1: The Tail-Wagging Beginning
People often ask, “Why on earth would you want to run a dog festival? Isn’t it total chaos?”
But let me assure you, it’s not chaos—it’s just a whole lot of tails wagging, snouts booping,
and four-legged networking at its finest.
But before I was knee-deep in zoomies and dog biscuits, I had a serious case of
commitment-phobia—not just to dogs, but to anything remotely reliant on me (yes, that
included husbands). I was more than happy being the fun aunt to other people’s pooches,
spoiling them with treats and belly rubs before sending them home.
Then in 2011, I met my now-husband, who came with a part-time doggy custody
arrangement—two collies, Benson and Bailey, who lived with his ex but visited one weekend
a month. It was the pawfect deal! But alas, my husband started getting dog-broody, scrolling
through rescue centre listings like a teenager on a dating app, flashing adorable pooch
pictures at me. And before I knew it, the dog broody virus had spread to me too.
Fast forward to April 2015. On our way back from a trip, we just happened to stop by a
rescue centre (totally by accident, of course). The collie we originally went to see was already
spoken for (rude!), but fate—or rather, a very persuasive shelter worker (who ironically
ended up working for me in later years)—had other plans. “Would you like to see some
puppies we have behind the scenes?” they asked.
We weren’t looking for a puppy. Puppies were tiny, fluffy hurricanes of destruction. But
what’s the harm in a little look, right?
And then he appeared—a black-and-white pup who didn’t jump, didn’t bark, just sat there
with an air of quiet confidence. Then, like a fluffy con artist, he trotted over, gave each of us
a single lick, and BAM—our hearts were stolen. Just like that, Max had chosen us.
Cue the mad scramble to buy all the essential doggy gear, build a fence, and puppy-proof the
house. And just like that, Max trotted into our lives… and into our hearts.
Little did I know, this was just the beginning of a tail-wagging adventure that would
eventually lead to a full-blown dog festival empire. But that, dear reader, is a story for
another chapawter…
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