Starting tomorrow, Itzl and I will be volunteering out at the OU Medieval Fair, something I've done for 35 years, and Itzl his whole life.
We generally work in the Fair Office or Info Booth. This year, we will be dividing our time between the Office and the new Water Paws booth, where people who bring their pets can go to get water and first aid care for them. Itzl's vet donated a pet first aid kit, and several places donated pet treats - cat, dog, ferret, and rodent, since those are the most common pets people bring out to the Fair. A couple of stores donated water bowls, and one donated a large floor cushion.
The Fair is providing the tent and the City of Norman is providing the water, table, chairs, and pooper station with poop bags.
Last year, I took a few photos of the dogs that attend MedFair and I had those photos made up into large prints to display in the tent, and I made banners to hang around the outside of it with paw prints and water drops and a sign that says "Water Paws".
I'm going to use the floor cushion and some fabric I have as backdrop to take photos of people's pets that come to Water Paws to use as decoration next year.
The Norman Emergency Response CORPS is going to print brochures for me next year that give the history of animals serving people (they did one I wrote this year on animals used in medicine for their own booth), including assisting disabled people. Since this is MedFair, the information will focus on how people used animals for assistance in the Middle Ages - I found some good references and woodcuts and such on animals assisting the lame, the blind, and the deaf so it should be a nice brochure. This same group is providing us with the ADA service dog cards so we can spread information on service animals. The also got me a lot of ADA Business Briefs to pass out to the vendors and interested people about service animals inside businesses. Plus, they want me to give some lectures to business leaders about service animals.
And now that you're read all this, I will reward you with pictures of Itzl and Xoco at past MedFairs. Since Xoco is only 2 years old, there aren't a lot of pictures of her.
Itzl in his favorite Dragon Costume:
Itzl in his Fairy Dog Costume:
Itzl in his Demon Dog costume:
Itzl taking a break in his early Tudor costume:
Xoco wearing her royal cloak and having fun:
Itzl and Xoco in the warm carrier because it got chilly at MedFair:
Itzl being petted by a FairGoer who has hearing issues. We were discussing little dogs as hearing dogs and as you can see, he was delighted. Itzl, not so much:
Itzl in a screened in ares where he could eat and drink without being pestered by children - the biggest issue we had at MedFair. As you can see in the background, there were plenty of other dogs there, but the kids all seem to be mightily attracted to Itzl, so I have a small screened area I bring out so he can eat and drink and rest - this was the basis for the Water Paws booth we are running this year:
If any of y'all are in the Norman, OK areas March 30, 31, or April 1, Itzl, Xoco, and I will be either in the Fair Office or the Water Paws Booth all weekend. Please feel free to drop by and say Hi - and give the dogs the scritchies in person that y'all keep sending them.