Leo Potluck

Today was our annual Leonberger Pre-Thanksgiving Potluck. Every year we get together on the Sunday before Thanksgiving to catch up with each other, eat, and let the dogs play. It's a tradition that started about 10 years ago and that I've continued planning for most of the years since. The number of people and dogs varies from year to year, but it's always fun to get together and let the dogs run around.

When Leonbergers have the chance to play with each other, it's pretty impressive to watch, especially when big males really get to playing. They play very differently with each other than they do with other dogs. Rousing games of spithead are the norm, with the occasional body slam and polar bear hug thrown in to keep it interesting. Now imagine 6 or more Leos running around together, taking over a dog park, and you get a feeling for our annual gathering. Watching the reactions of the other people at the park is always fun and we spend a lot of time explaining what kind of dogs they are and answering all the usual questions about them.

So all in all, it was a fun afternoon once again. The weather didn't really cooperate this year - it got cold and windy pretty suddenly, so everyone headed out a bit earlier than usual - but at least it didn't rain. We were seranaded by the flocks of parrots once again, the kids had a grand time running around with their buddies, and I got to eat my favorite sweet potatoes. You can't ask for much better than that!