*ANATASE HAS BEEN ADOPTED!*
Hi again! It’s me, Anatase! In case you missed all the excitement this weekend, I was in the annual May Day Parade here in downtown Kennebunk. I had never been to a parade before and let me tell you, what an exciting time! There were so many people, interesting cars, other pups, and lots of music and colorful banners. There was stuff to see everywhere! Good thing I was a brave girl and perked up my ears to look my best. Everyone said I made the cutest parade pup ever!
Waiting to March
First things first, I had to be picked up by a volunteer at AWS and brought to the parade wearing my most colorful outfit. Every dog in the AWS Parade Brigade wore colorful flowers, and us resident dogs wore ‘Adopt Me’ vests. I looked so pretty! It was about an hour while we waited for the parade to begin and during that time, I walked around and made so many new friends! Everyone wanted to say hello to me and there were even children who stopped to pet me. I was grateful for the attention, especially because I got lots of cookies!
A little while into waiting, the sun poked out from behind the clouds and warmed it up quite a bit. I got bored of standing around in the sun (hey, I AM a puppy after all), so I decided to hop into the back of the AWS van. Apparently everyone though this was quite a hoot because I looked smaller than the all the stuffed animals back there. I guess I did blend right in and it was hard to tell if I was real or full of fluff! Either way, I was able to get a quick nap in before it was time to march!
In the Parade
Once the parade kicked off and all the other doggies started walking, my volunteer friend told me it was time to go. I hopped out of the van and away we went! I didn’t know that parades were so much fun! As soon as we turned the corner into downtown Kennebunk, there were people cheering and laughing and waving at us. Music was playing and there was even a giant, dancing chicken! I got a little scared at first, but I was encouraged by my human friends to keep walking and follow the dogs. I put on a brave face and started prancing down the road with my ears held high! Several people told me I was adorable and there were even delicious ground treats to snag along the way. I felt like a princess meeting her adoring public!
Halfway up the parade route, however, my little puppy feet started to get tired. I decided to lay down right in the middle of the road because, well, I wanted to! Everyone laughed and thought it was adorable, but I was just genuinely sleepy. They would hold the parade for me right? Well, luckily my volunteer friend once again helped me along by simply picking me up and carrying me. I guess I really am royalty! I appreciate her a lot because let me tell you, a puppy can only do so much! Eventually, though, I was able to keep walking and we finished the parade with a grand cheer and lots of tasty treats!
The After Party
Once the parade was over, boy was I tired! We watched the last of the cars and the giant chicken turn around the corner, and then everyone clapped. The other AWS dogs wanted to play and run around, but I just wanted to head back to AWS for some dinner and down time. Luckily, my volunteer friend once again came through and escorted me back to the shelter.
However, the day wasn’t over yet! Once we got back to AWS, there were even more people to greet me and tell me how wonderful I was. They all said I might have met my future family in the crowd and that someone out there might want to adopt me. At the sound of this, my ears perked right up again. A family of my own, right there in the crowd?! What if they saw me march? Had they fed me treats? What if they walked through that door today and said “we want to adopt Anatase!” That truly would have been the cherry on top of a perfect day for me!
So, ultimately I wasn’t adopted that day, but that doesn’t mean it won’t happen soon! My family is still out there and I know they’ll find me when the time is right. I’ve been patiently waiting for over a month now, so maybe a parade is all they needed to see me for the first time! Hey, if you’re out there, and you’re reading this now, I’m the parade pup that you’re looking for!
