Hoofers and Woofers

July 1 -- In an effort two combine two of my great loves (puppy raising and swing dancing) I took Truman on his first outing to Santa Monica's Third Street Promenade, on a Sunday evening when the Third Street Swingers were holding one of their outdoor dances. It continues to be my hope that Truman will someday be mature and self-controlled enough to accompany me to my weekly dance class, so I wanted to see what he would think of loud music and lots of motion. Figured this would be a good introduction.

The group dances at the very end of the Promenade, blocks from where I typically park to go to the mall, so we had some walking to do. While Friday and Saturday nights see crazy crowds there year-round, a Sunday evening in the summertime can be busy as well. I was pleased; Truman navigated the crowds with surprising ease and confidence, and demonstrated impressive obedience once we reached our destination and parked ourselves on a nearby curb to watch. A few of my friends from dance class came over to tell him how handsome he is, as did at least a dozen passersby. He took in his surroundings, watching everything with great interest, but he seemed most interested in people who were walking their dogs, which was not a big surprise.

By the time we took this photo, Truman's attention span was about shot, but I did manage to get him to hold still for just a moment: